Chronos
by Lord Nosferatu
Summary: An original epic Chrono Cross inspired story, several years in the making. Starring Original and Canon Characters. This is a story about a world split apart by racism, and the six who must save it from a man who wishes to play god. Fighting, Swearing, Sex
1. The Beginning! Meet the Heroes!

**The Beginning! Meet the Heroes!**

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize_

_What was the start of all this?_

_When did the cogs of fate begin to turn?_

_Perhaps it is impossible to answer this question now,_

_From deep within the flow of time..._

_But for a certainty, back then,_

_We loved so many,_

_Yet hated so much._

_We hurt others,_

_And were hurt ourselves._

_And yet, even then, we ran like the wind,_

_Whilst our laughter echoed,_

_Under cerulean skies..._

_History has a tendency, to repeat itself..._

The alarm was blaring out the beat to 'Happy Days'. The large lump in the soft twin bed shuffled irritably beneath the covers and a hand protruded, grasping blindly for the source of daily irritation, but to no avail. Finally, the figure gave a sigh of surrender and rose from his soft haven, to the sight of a bespectacled young man at his doorway.

"Why the hell, were you messing with my alarm?" the tired looking youth asked the smirking face at his door, he turned to look at the alarm , which was still blaring that god-awful song. "It's only 8:30, you nitwit!" he said with a hint of surprise and irritation, "and do you think that it's funny making THAT, the first thing I hear in the morning?"

The man at the door chuckled. "Poor Kage, it seems you have forgotten. Today is the day we return to active duty. Chief took us off standby when you dropped your Pepsi in his lap last week at The Pizza Barn," The man said still chuckling, "And I thought you would like that song. It suits you, don't you think?" he said, now full out laughing.

Kage looked around his room, black painted walls, window with the shades closed, an array of dark colored clothing strew across his floor, and various electronic devices such as a stereo and television.

"You're kidding me Xang, I'm still known as 'That Goth guy' at the mall."

Xang chuckled again, "Well, you were wearing black leather..."

Kage looked at him "So?"

Xang looked back at him "It was July."

"Oh."

Xang sighed, "Get dressed, we need to be there by 9:15."

Kage stopped pulling on some black jeans conveniently set on his dresser, "I think I need to get used to getting up early again. I'm out of practice."

"Right, just hurry up, I'll wait outside."

Kage quickly pulled on a black short sleeve shirt that said 'Revenge is a Bitch.' on the front, and said 'Mine.' on the back. A pair of black boots later and he was on his way out the door, he picked up a duffel bag lying next to the door and opened the door, as he was walking outside he turned and looked at the small apartment he and Xang occupied.

"Man, this place needs a maid." And he shut the door.

Xang was leaning on the railing looking down at the floor below, he also had a duffel bag, but his was blue as opposed to Kage's gray. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt, blue jeans, and some blue Nike's. The sun reflected off his glasses bringing attention to his eyes, showing off his obvious Asian ancestry.

"Took you long enough, we missed the bus so we're gonna have to walk, and that means we're going to be late."

"Oh well, we better get started, maybe Chief won't be mad if we're not too late." Stated Kage

"Right, and demi-humans are allowed to vote." replied Xang

"That would be the day, perhaps maybe then, we wouldn't have to hide and disguise ourselves as Humans." He smiled then, showing off his long fangs. Xang looked at him, and gazed down to Kage's hands, where it was easy to see that his nails we're longer than average, much longer.

"You look really scary when you smile man, when your hair covers your face and all you look feral." Commented Xang who pretended to shiver

"Ha-Ha, makes a good Halloween trick." Kage said, looking at his Raven locks that fell before his eyes. "You should let your hair grow out more Xang; bangs are so much fun to have."

"Hey, I do have bangs, they're just not very long." said Xang, brushing his hair self-consciously as they started walking down the stairs.

"Right. Hey Xang, I wonder how come it's been so quiet? Usually the Syndicate is doing something or other, but we've been on leave for a lot longer than normal haven't we?"

"Just be grateful, if they were up to something, we would have been off of standby a long time ago."

"I don't know, it just makes me uneasy, they're always doing something. We still don't know why they're always making trouble for us. I don't buy that blood purity bullshit for a second." Stated Kage

"True, it makes me uneasy as well. I've heard that there is a rumor going around that the 'Big Boss' of the syndicate is looking for something, and is using the drug money and other crimes to fund his empire and search for whatever it is." commented Xang

"You mean like some ultimate element or something?" asked Kage

"I have no idea, but haven't the scientists at New Origins already supposedly found all of the existing elements in the world?"

"They haven't found the Chrono Cross."

"Ha, you know that's just a myth. I'm surprised you keep bringing that fairy tale up."

"Yeah, I know, but it could exist though. You never know what's out there."

"Maybe, but it's not probable, besides, the stories say that the Chrono Cross was made of all SIX elements, but there are EIGHT aren't there?"

"Yeah yeah, red, blue, yellow, green, black, white, silver, and clear. I did pass grade school you know." Said Kage listing them on his fingers

"Fire, water and ice, lighting and ground, grass and wind, gravity and shadow, divinity and light, metal, and finally, glass." Continued Xang "And I know for a fact you cheated most of the way through school."

Kage looked around taking in their environment. Walking on the sidewalk of a bustling metropolis, he felt the breeze pass by as automobiles raced down the streets. Skyscrapers stood tall around him, people of all colors and shapes brushed by him, and billboard ads burned his eyes with bright colors and moving images. It was a very beautiful, if not crowded place. Much had changed in 1000 years, since Serge and the Chrono Crossers' fight against Lavos. This city, which was named Crescent Sun in honor of its diverse, though still unequal, populace, was made in the year 763 A.F., 763 after FATE. It was now, 1028 A.F. The people of this world now had the ability to choose their own fates, but for some people, Destiny still has a tight hold.

_Elsewhere..._

In an old rusted van, two pale men wearing jackets were stuffing their faces with two big double-meat hamburgers from the local burger joint. The skinny male on the left, in front of the steering wheel, balled up his paper wrapper and threw it into the back of the van as he looked at his passenger.

"Ok, get ready, we go in, we grab it, and we get out. No dilly-dallying around, boss said if we screwed this one up, it's our asses on a stick. You got me?" he said somewhat nervously, yet forcefully to his friend

"Yeah, I gotcha, don't worry about it. How hard could it be? I mean, it's just a museum. I don't even know why the boss wants that piece of junk. Last time I went, it just looked like some rusted piece of scrap. Not even shiny." Replied the burly man riding shotgun

"Maybe he just wants it added to his collection? Who knows? We don't ask questions, we just do the dirty work and reap the riches." suggested the former

"Naw, it has to be something important, he's been having us do a lot of these retrieval missions lately. Remember when we used to just assassinate certain political adversaries or protesters? Or when we'd rob a few banks, or raid a few ruins? That was fun, but this is just plain weird. And boring." He replied again

"Oh well, I'm confused. How about we just do this job, give the shit to the boss, and then we go get drunk at a nudie bar? That's always a lot of fun!" said the skinny one as he started the van.

"You're a sad piece of trash aren't you?" asked the burly syndicate officer as he pulled out his Spaz 12 shotgun and cocked it.

"You better believe it." Replied the thug as the car zoomed off towards the museum three blocks away

_Back to our Heroes_

"So, whatever happened between you and that blonde chick?" asked Xang

"You mean the one at the park?" asked Kage

"Yeah" replied Xang

"The one who poured her coke on your head when you tried to ask her out?" asked Kage

"...yeah" said Xang irritably.

"Oh yeah, we broke up, it wouldn't have worked out." said Kage nonchalantly

"Why not?" asked Xang

"She a little preppy and big-mouthed, if she ever accidentally found out what we do, she would freak out and tell everyone in the city, thus jeopardizing our mission, especially if the wrong people found out the wrong things. I'd like to still be able to walk the streets reasonably safely thank you. Cops and Syndicate Thugs don't take kindly to vigilantes you know."

"I guess so, you think you'll ever find the right one?" asked Xang

"Probably not, too busy to look really, but hey you're lucky!" said a thoughtful Kage

"Why do you say that?" asked Xang interested

"Because you'll take any kind!" said Kage excitedly

"Shut the hell up." Said Xang laughing

"STOP THOSE MEN!" yelled a voice.

Kage turned his eyes toward the voice, a security officer stood at the door to the local museum, running feebly after two men in black. The big one had a black sack slung over his shoulder as he headed for a blue van directly across the street from the museum, about twenty feet away. Just as the two thieves were about to reach their van, a huge spear of solid blue ice jettisoned into it and blew it up into flames. Kage looked next to him, where the ice spear appeared, just in time to see Xang lower his hands. Xang looked at Kage when a look of intense concentration.

"I haven't used an element in a while." He said with a tired breath.

Kage looked at him. "At least you still have good aim."

Xang smirked, but his face changed abruptly when he noticed the two men running down the street, still making an attempt to escape.

"We gotta go after them" he gasped, and ran forward after the men, slinging his duffel bag over his back.

"I didn't see this coming." said Kage as he sprinted to catch up with his long-gone friend.

The two men were running full speed, panting every other second. They darted to the left, dashed to the right, and were beginning to lose hope of ever ditching their pursuers. The skinny one stopped abruptly and ran into an old abandoned building. The big one soon followed him inside. It was cold and dark inside, with spider webs dangling from the ceiling and a few doors and stairs being the only decoration.

"What the hell, where did those two come from?" asked the big one as he lowered the bag to the ground.

"I have no idea, but those two shitheads are about to get an ass kicking for trying to get in our way." The other thug said as he pulled out his glock and checked the ammo.

"You want to fight them?" asked the big one bewildered "You're kidding, did you see what that guy did?"

"Yeah, I saw him blow up my motherfucking van!"

"It was a piece of trash! But that's not the point, I don't want to end up like it." said the burly one nervously

"Stop being a pansy, you act as if you've never seen an element before."

"Not one that strong! The ones I've seen would maybe crack the window, but not blast it to hell and back!"

"Then you haven't really seen one. Here take these, you may not have seen a strong one, but you do know how to use them right?" the little one said as he passed 3 element stones

This was about the time that Kage caught up with Xang outside the entrance to the old building.

"They're still inside, I can hear them talking. I wasn't about to run in there without you backing me up, who knows what they can do." Explained Xang

"Ok then, make sure to check your grid while we have time. I haven't even looked at mine this week," said Kage as he pulled his grid out of its belt strap.

"I don't understand why you only have black elements in yours," said Xang as he refitted one of the yellow stones into his grid.

"They're all I need." He said as he dug into his bag and pulled out two handguns. They were custom made, and were even engraved with silver lettering on their sleek black bodies. 'Peace' and 'Chaos'. With both guns in hand, Kage kicked open the door and ran in.

As soon as the door opened, Kage dived to the left as a blast from the Spaz 12 the burly man was holding was released. Xang was just missed by the widespread shot. Kage rolled and fired two shots at the man. The man ducked behind a desk and tried to hit Kage again but he dodged once more. Meanwhile, Xang ran into the building after brushing off the door debris. He saw Kage dodge again and was about to move into position to use an element on the man when a shot rebounded off the wall near him, and he was smashed in the face to the left. The skinny one had appeared and was wearing brass knuckles and had a gun in his other hand.

"You're gonna wish you had never got in our way kid." The man said menacingly

Xang swept his foot and tripped the idiot, knocking the gun out a cracked window. "I'm no kid." He said as he stood back up and entered into a stance, tearing his focus away from Kage and onto this new threat.

The man stood back up and ran towards Xang, swinging his right fist towards his face. Xang ducked and inserted his left fist into the man's stomach, then punched him in the face with his right fist when the thug keeled over. The man staggered back, lifted his hand, and was soon covered in a green light. Xang watched as the bruises on his face healed, and then stepped back when he pointed his hand at Xang and a flaming red ball appeared in front of the man's outturned palm.

"FIREBALL!" he roared as the flaming sphere propelled towards Xang, who quickly lifted his hand and said "AQUA BEAM!" A jet of water erupted from his hand, negating the fireball, and saving Xang from a painful end.

The man took advantage of this opening in Xang's defense to send another spell immediately after his fireball.

"PHOTON RAY!" the beam of pure white light energy slammed into Xang's shoulder and sent him flying back into a corner, right next to where Kage had taken cover.

Kage stopped shooting at the man and used a restorative NOSTRUM on Xang, who sprung up and ran back at his foe. Kage ran parallel to the wall before him and used his momentum to run on the wall and jump over the desk, towards the thief. As Kage flew through the air, he emptied his clip at the man, catching him unaware. The thief, unprepared for this technique panicked and shot wildly, which greatly diminished his accuracy, even with a shotgun. As Kage landed, he sent the man whirling into the wall by grabbing his gun arm and using all of his might to swing him. The thug crashed into the wall and staggered back up into a standing position, only to be drop kicked by Kage, and sent into the wall again. He slumped down, defeated.

Xang on the other hand, was still having an element war with the skinny thug.

"ICE SPEAR!" yelled Xang

"MAGMA BOMB!" shouted the thug at the same time.

The Ice Spear flew through the air towards the thug, which made him lose his control, the Magma Bombs shot out around Xang at extremely high temperatures, but luckily missed, leaving Xang unharmed, the same could not be said for his opponent. Xang looked over at where his opponent had been standing moments before, in the distance he could see the man impaled onto the wall by the spear which was starting to disappear.

"Ha, now this is irony," were the last things that came out of the thug's mouth, other than blood, as he slid to the ground when the spear had completely disappeared.

"I apologize, I wish I didn't have to kill you," said Xang solemnly with a bowed head He looked up at Kage who was picking the burly thug up off the ground.

"Where's the bag?" said Kage glaring at the defeated man.

The thug's eyes glanced towards his fallen comrade. "Please, don't kill me!" he begged.

"I'll consider it, if you tell me where you hid the bag right now!" yelled Kage, annoyed by his own weakness.

"It's over there, in the corner, next to the stairs," said the man, looking slightly calmer.

Kage looked over to where the man indicated but quickly turned back around as a small knife plunged into his shoulder, he shouted and let go of the thug, stumbling back and grasping his shoulder. The thug, glad that his plan worked, cast a quick, weak 'Fireball' at Kage to knock him back, and dived towards the fallen Spaz 12, cocking it as he rose up into the air. He aimed the barrel at Kage, ready to shoot. Kage knew there was no way he'd be able to dodge the bullets from this close up. He could barely hear Xang's voice yelling out on the other side of the room, too far to reach him. Kage closed his eyes and prepared for his anti-climactic end. A sharp screaming pierced Kage's ears and forced him to open his eyes. There in front of him, the thug's body was being pulled down into an abyss filled with ghouls and ghost, the man's body was being distorted and he appeared to be screaming in fright, until his entire body was sucked into the pit. Kage looked behind him and noticed Xang, still about 30 feet away, bent over and panting.

"Thanks Xang." Said Kage, as he pulled the knife out, relieved to still be alive.

Xang took a deep breath and stood upright. "I didn't want to use a HellSoul, but none of my other elements would have reached him in time. You're lucky I decided to steal one of your elements from your grid as we walked in." he said.

"Huh?" questioned Kage as he examined his grid and noticed that there was indeed, one missing element in his grid.

"Well, I'll be damned." He said with a chuckle

"No, he would." Said Xang smiling wryly

"You know, under normal circumstances, I'd have to hurt you for taking one of my elements without asking, but since you saved my life, I'll let this one slide." Kage joked.

"I hate black elements, they take so much out of you, and most of them are either gruesome or disturbing," commented Xang.

"That's why I like them," said Kage.

"That's says a lot about you," replied Xang

"Whatever, let's get this stolen item and return it to the museum," said Kage seriously.

"At least now, we have a suitable excuse for being late." Xang commented as they walked towards the stairs where the thug said the bagged item would be. The two reached the stairs and noticed the bag haphazardly thrown into a dusty corner. Kage picked it up and set it down near Xang and opened the bag to see what was inside.

"What the Hell?" asked Kage in confusion.

"It's a Record of FATE. I wonder why they would steal something like this? I mean, it's useless. It doesn't work anymore, it's just some pretty artifact!" expressed Xang as he scrutinized the Record.

"Maybe they were collectors," suggested Kage. Xang gave him a look. "or maybe whoever they worked for is?"

"I don't think so, the museum has a ton of nice little goodies collectors would love to get their hands on, why only this?" pondered Xang

"Oh well, it doesn't matter, we beat the bad guys, got the goods, and now we'll be heroes of the city!" said Kage nonchalantly, already brushing his curiosity off.

"Eh erm."

Kage whipped out one of his guns and aimed at the source of the new voice. He saw an old man standing at the ravaged entrance to the building. He noticed Xang had his left palm facing the man also.

"Who the hell are you?" asked Kage suspiciously

"Ah, good reflexes my boy, you would make a fine Chrono Trigger. Good thing too, you'll need good reflexes for what's to come."

"What the hell are you talking...Answer my question!" demanded Kage.

"My name, is Lazarus." Smiled the old man "I am a scholar at the museum in which that artifact was stolen from."

"Oh right, well sorry old man, but I don't really trust you or any other strange people right now. I think I'll go take this to the museum myself."

"Very good, but I must point out, that your friend is mistaken." Said Lazarus

Kage looked over at Xang, who still had his arm raised, but now had a curious expression upon his face.

"What I mean is, these criminals that you two have disposed of didn't know it, but it's not the Record that they were after."

"Then what were they after?" asked Xang

"What's inside the Record of Fate, of course," smiled Lazarus knowingly.

"Huh? You mean there's something in here?" Kage said as he shook the bag in his left hand, while lowering his gun slightly.

"Yes. Something very precious. Something that sadly, is going to change your lives forever."


	2. What's a Chrono Trigger? The Sydicate De...

**What's A Chrono Trigger? The Syndicate Defense Corps!**

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize._

_Last Time: _

"Eh erm."

Kage whipped out one of his guns and aimed at the source of the new voice. He saw an old man standing at the ravaged entrance to the building. He noticed Xang had his left palm facing the man also.

"Who the hell are you?" asked Kage suspiciously

"Ah, good reflexes my boy, you would make a fine Chrono Trigger. Good thing too, you'll need good reflexes for what's to come."

"What the hell are you talking...Answer my question!" demanded Kage.

"My name, is Lazarus." Smiled the old man "I am a scholar at the museum in which that artifact was stolen from."

"Oh right, well sorry old man, but I don't really trust you or any other strange people right now. I think I'll go take this to the museum myself."

"Very good, but I must point out, that your friend is mistaken." Said Lazarus

Kage looked over at Xang, who still had his arm raised, but now had a curious expression upon his face.

"What I mean is, these criminals that you two have disposed of didn't know it, but it's not the Record that they were after."

"Then what were they after?" asked Xang

"What's inside the Record of Fate, of course," smiled Lazarus knowingly.

"Huh? You mean there's something in here?" Kage said as he shook the bag in his left hand, while lowering his gun slightly.

"Yes. Something very precious. Something that sadly, is going to change your lives forever."

**Chapter 2.**

"What the fuck are you talking about old man?" asked Kage

"Please, don't be so vulgar," sighed Lazarus

Xang smiled, "You get used to it." His hand remained raised.

Kage glared at him "We don't have time for this bullshit, we're out of here!" he said as he walked past the man, and through the door. The words "Senile bastard" were left in the air behind him.

Xang just looked at his friend and began to follow him cautiously, but as he passed the old man, he heard him speak.

"Give my regards to Commander Blake." Lazarus smiled

Xang turned startled and looked at the old man. But as he opened his mouth to speak he was cut off.

"XANG, get over here!" yelled Kage down the street.

Xang ran off after him, still looking back at the old man. 'How does he know about the Commander?'

"I'll be seeing you two very soon..."

Kage was walking on the sidewalk and looking a little irritated, Xang ran up next to him.

"Who the hell was that guy? I hate when people speak and don't make sense." Asked Kage after a while, looking to the right at his friend

"I don't know, but I think he knows about Syndicate Defense Corps." said Xang, looking deep in thought.

"What? How?" asked Kage curiously

"I would have found out more if you hadn't rushed me out so quickly. He told me to say hi to the Commander." Xang said slightly exasperated.

"Damn it, I guess I'll ask Blake after we return this RoF." Said Kage

"Wait, hold on, shouldn't we take this to headquarters?" asked Xang "I mean, he said there was something important in there."

"He was probably bullshitting us, I didn't hear anything when I shook it," replied Kage.

"Well don't you want to be sure?" asked Xang "What if those guys come back for it?"

"Ok, fine, whatever." Said Kage as he continued onwards, taking a right at the corner, away from the museum.

Eventually we find our heroes knocking on the door of a small townhouse in a city residential area. An old man with a hunch opened the door partway and spoke in a raspy voice. "Oh hello, boys, how may I help you?" he asked with drooping eyes

Xang moved to speak but Kage answered first "You could drop the act and let us in Earl, we've got something important to tell Blake."

The old man sighed and stood up straight; he cracked his neck to the side and opened his eyes completely. "Jesus Kage, can't you once just follow protocol? You're supposed to say 'We are from the Everlast Insurance company, we're selling Life Insurance for the elderly, do you mind if we come in?', is it really all that hard?"

"No, not really, I just don't feel like doing it, besides it ruffles your feathers." Kage smirked

"Just come inside." Said Earl irritably

"Good Morning Earl, I see your getting good at that Doppelganger spell." Said Xang politely as he walked inside the house.

Earl dispelled the illusion, transforming into a short red haired man with a mustache, a crooked nose, and light brown eyes. "Thanks Xang, it took me a while, but I finally got it down a couple of days ago. It's based on my gramps."

"That's great, we'll we gotta go, got something real important to talk to the Commander about." Smiled Xang

"See ya later rookie. Tell Kage to watch out, one day he might get blasted if he tries to get in without the passcode."

"I feel sorry for anybody who'd try, but I'll tell him anyway. Later." Xang joked.

It was a nice old fashioned house, lots of books, a calendar, paintings and an old record player. There was a family room, with couches and an old TV with knobs. Kage walked upstairs pass the restroom and a few sparsely decorated bedrooms, and into the bathroom, he stopped and waited for Xang to catch up.

"Geez Xang, you're getting slow." Kage said as Xang walked into the bathroom.

"Sorry, there was a picture of Aleksa in a skirt on the wall in the den," said Xang slyly.

"You are the epitome of virginity my friend," commented Kage as he shook his head.

Xang smiled "I just appreciate females more than the average man."

"Right, a lot more. I think you must be out to set a record." Said Kage as he walked towards the shower stall, he opened the glass door and walked in, Xang followed him. As Xang closed the door, Kage reached up and turned the shower head 90 degrees to the right then 180 degrees to the left. The shower began to silently descend into the ground and another took its place. "Here we go!" yelled Kage as they fell faster.

_Outside... _

"Is everything in position?" a young man with white hair said in to a radio. The radio crackled and a reply could be heard coming through it. The man spoke into the radio again, "Excellent, get ready to attack." The sound of the other side clicking off was audible. The mysterious man smiled sinisterly, and thought to himself. _'You led us straight here.'_ He chuckled silently.

_Back inside... _

Kage and Xang finally came to a halt, the capsule disguised as a shower stall slowing down until it finally came to rest. The showers' door came open and Kage stepped out into an underground passageway. Xang followed shakily.

"I h-h-hate that d-damn ride..." stuttered Xang

Kage smiled. "I know."

Xang gave him a frustrated look, and took an unsteady step, after finding his center of balance he continued onwards through the tunnel before them. Eventually the duo reached a computer terminal connected to the wall. Kage reached his hand down and typed in his username and password.

**Please enter Username and Passcode.**

**LunarWolf: Checking... Verified... Hello Kage Lunatic.**

Kage was surrounded by a green revolving disc that descended and ascended upon his body. Once the laser had identified his physical makeup, he was allowed to move on to the next checkpoint. Kage walked up to the right wall adjacent to the computer terminal which had just lowered to reveal an arched entryway. Kage glanced through the entrance to see several high power automatic machine gun turrets aimed at the entrance, they would shoot anyone who walked through that entry that was not confirmed to be Kage Lunatic. Kage looked back at his friend who was standing at the terminal waiting for Kage to enter. Taking a deep breath, Kage walked under the arch and was scanned again, a secondary security precaution.

**Identity Confirmed. **

Sighing after receiving the signal that it was now safe to enter, Kage stepped forward. The way the entrance was situated, it'd be almost impossible to escape being shot if you were trying to sneak in. An intruder wouldn't be able to see them, but there were two more turrets situated on the sides of the entryway, so even if he were able to somehow dodge the bullets and get inside, he'd be shot from the side. Kage could hear Xang working on the computer now that he was safely inside.

**Please enter Username and Passcode. **

**Merman: Checking... Verified... Hello Simon Xang **

Xang smiled then entered the arch, where he went through the scanning process that Kage had, and was also greeted with confirmation.

**Identity Confirmed. **

He walked up to where Kage was standing and looked at the large 2 ton door in front of them. This was the last security checkpoint.

"Is it really necessary to have all of this protection?" asked Kage

"At least they don't have a laser grid to walk through." Said Xang

Kage gave him an exasperated look "They're installing it next week."

Xang's eyes opened wide, and then went back to normal. "Well, can you really blame them for being cautious?"

Kage walked up to the door and took a card out from his back pocket and inserted it into a very small slot in the middle of the door. "No, I guess not, but the base has never been found before." He said as the card was returned and the door split open in the middle, leading to a large room brimming with people working on computers, testing inventions, and combat training.

Kage looked throughout the whole hall, and started walking through the mass of people towards an office in on the second floor; a person was visible through the window. Kage muttered to himself as he and Xang approached the office. "The Syndicate Defense Corps, dedicated to the protection of all civilians, humans and demi alike, the destruction of the evil syndicate organization, and the obtainment of equal rights for demi-humans." All recruits were required to memorize the saying and never to forget it.

The defense corps could be described as a vigilante military organization. The Syndicate was one of the main criminal organizations of the time, and after time, many people banded together to fight back, forming the SDC. The Syndicate specialized in many destructive and disruptive acts, such as stealing valuable and priceless jewels, selling drugs, framing innocent people, and mass murder. They were supposedly very antagonistic to Demi-Human rights, and were a collection of human race purists. Many times there have been attempts of Genocide, but all have been stopped by operatives of the SDC. They created much of the apparent propaganda against Demis and worked to give them a bad reputation by scapegoating them with all of their misdeeds. Sadly, this technique was very effective in making Demi-Humans unable to have many basic freedoms in many areas, such as the freedom of speech, and the ability to hold public office.

The Humans and Demi-Humans were segregated, with just about everything separated from each other. The last few centuries had done little to build relations between the two groups. However, many Demis posed as Humans if they could, much like Kage and Xang, whom were respectively a Werewolf and a Merman. Kage did not turn into a wolf such as the Werewolves of legend, but had several wolf-like attributes. Xang likewise, did not grow a tail when immersed in water, but simply had the ability to live comfortably underwater. It had already been scientifically proven that Demi-Human mutation was just a simple advancement in evolution by many established unprejudiced research facilities, but many humans still denied the claim. Some even believed the mutations to be the work of demons.

Kage and Xang walked up to the office door on the other side of the main hall. On its window, in white letters, it said 'Commander Blake'. Xang tapped politely on the door, and heard a deep gruff voice. "Come in." Xang and Kage entered into the room. Its walls were decorated with several weapons and many shelves held long rows of books.

"Ah, I see you two finally made it." Said the man in the room, "You're late you know. You were supposed to have signed in an hour ago." Blake said nonchalantly whilst reading the sport section of his newspaper. He was a large black man, with a bald head, and eyes worn from years of reading office paperwork and field reports. He was wearing a white dress shirt and crisp, neat, khakis. Both looked pretty tight due to the massive amount of muscles he possessed, "You have a good excuse this time Kage?"

Kage smirked. "Actually, I do."

Blake didn't look up. "Really. Well then, let's here it."

Xang began to speak "Well you see, we woke up slightly later than we wanted to, due to somebody taking his sweet time getting ready in the morning," he glanced at Kage who gave him the 'finger'.

"So that's why you're both an HOUR late?" said Blake glancing away from his paper

"No," said Kage "the REASON why we're late is this." He lifted up the sack in his hand.

Blake now noticed the large parcel that Kage had been holding in his right hand. "What's that?" Kage set the bag down on Blake's desk and opened it up, revealing the mystical green Record of Fate. "What the fuck!" yelled Blake standing up, he rushed over to Kage and lifted him up by his collar. "How the hell did you get this!"

"We stopped two guys who had just robbed the museum, they had taken this, and ran." Said Kage calmly

Xang was looking frantic, afraid for his friend's health, yet worried about making himself known while Commander Blake was this energized. He kept repeating to himself, "Bears eat fish, Bears eat fish. Don't mess with the big brown bear Xang" referring to Blake being a bear type demi-human, possessing incredible strength.

Blake set Kage down quietly then went back to his desk and sat down, staring at the Record of Fate.

"Where are the men now?" asked Blake after a time

"In Hell." Replied Kage

"Do you know who they were working for? Why they had this? Did you get any information out of them?" asked Blake

"No, we killed them before we knew what they had." replied Xang

Blake looked angry, "You should have left them alive. We could have gained some intelligence from them!"

"Why is it so important anyway?" asked Kage. He almost wanted to yell back 'I almost got a face full of shotgun, asshole!' but stayed silent in respect for Blake's hard work and tolerance.

Blake leaned back into his chair and massaged his temples, his patience wavering. "That's classified." He said

Kage spoke up "Hey, I almost forgot. There's something important inside."

Blake looked startled for a second, then regained his composure, "How did you know that?" He asked silently.

Xang cleared his throat. "We met an old man on our way here."

Blake lifted one of his eyebrows and beckoned for Xang to continue.

"Well, this guy told us there was something special inside this thing," he patted the Record, "and he told me to tell you hi."

This left Blake confused, "Did he give you his name?"

"Yes, he said his name was Lazarus."

Blake began to twiddle his thumbs, which was proving to look very humorous to Kage who began to chuckle.

"I thought he was dead." Blake said suddenly, startling Kage from his chuckling.

"So you know him?" asked Xang

"Yes, he was one of our most intelligent independent researchers. He disappeared some time ago. Fell right off the map."

Kage was surprised. 'So this guy worked for SDC, that's how he knew about us.' He thought

"Ok guys, thanks. If that's all, you can go. I'll get someone to get this thing opened up. I suggest you guys go to the training room and brush up on your skills. Get some breakfast while you're at it if you haven't eaten. I already had somebody fill in for you in your tardiness, so you can take some time before you relieve them," said Blake halfway in thought.

Xang began to walk towards the door, but Kage stayed standing in front of Blake. "Actually, there's one other thing."

Blake sighed "What now?"

"When we met Lazarus, he said I'd be a good Chronic something you have any idea what he was talking about?"

"Wha...?" said Blake, full of energy once again

"He said Kage would be a good Chrono Trigger. I had forgotten he said that," said Xang, who had reappeared at Kage's side.

"H-he said t-t-that you'd b-be a good C-C-C-Chrono T-T-Trigger?" stuttered Blake

Xang began to get slightly worried, he was about to ask what a Chrono Trigger was but Kage spoke first.

"That's what he said. You should really take care of that stuttering problem." Kage joked, but secretly he was just as worried as Xang.

Blake had wide eyes, and was shaking his head from side to side. "This can't be, that's only a legend...damnit Lazarus…"

"Explain," demanded Kage, his voice with a slight edge "apparently whatever a Chrono Trigger is must be extremely horrible, from the look on your face."

"No. Lazarus was the only one who deeply researched the legend of the Chrono Triggers, but I learned a little from him. We both had an interest in ancient mythology." Said Blake taking a deep breath "All I know that there were supposedly two Chrono Triggers in the past, they had special powers..."

"Special Powers?" asked Kage warily. Xang was extremely interested; he was even taking notes on a notepad he kept in his pocket.

"Time Control, or some form of power over time."

Kage sat down quickly, relieved and amused, in a soft velvet chair on the side of the office. "That can't be, Time Control is impossible."

Xang agreed with him "Yes, Kage is right, it's a scientific impossibility, just something somebody imagined."

Blake nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right, but, you must remember that in the past, people couldn't explain how we could use elements. They had stories of how they were created, but it still didn't explain how Humans and Demi-Humans had the ability to siphon off the energy created in these little gems, and give them physical form."

"It's been proven that the entire gem acts as a connection to your grid, which is connected to your body at some point, the energy is then transferred into your mind when you call upon the energy and redirected through the arm. The energy is then transferred into the air where it distorts the oxygen and carbon dioxide atoms in the air and changes the proton count into different chemical compounds. These new compounds are then created into an item or attack in whatever shape or form the energy has been predetermined to change into. Then you subconsciously use the extra part of our brain that contains psychic abilities to activate the attack and send it a signal as to where to aim." Provided Xang

Blake and Kage gave him completely bewildered looks. "Xang, you know I completely slept through elemental theory in high school, I haven't the foggiest idea of what the hell you just said."

Xang slumped his shoulders and sighed "Imbeciles."

Kage ignored his friend. "Is there anything else you know about Chrono Triggers?"

"Not really, I know they both died and were revived, the second one supposedly accidentally changed bodies with his enemy and was killed, and had to be reborn, it's crazy. There's a ton more information on the second incarnation of the Trigger since it wasn't so far behind in time, but Lazarus would be the one to talk too."

"Nah, that's ok, he's probably off his rocker anyways." Said Kage as he walked off, disbelieving anything about the existence of the Chrono Trigger. "I'll catch ya later."

"Good day Commander." Said Xang as he walked outside also.

Blake simply watched them leave, then glanced at the Record and called Intelligence. "Send Arnold up here, tell him to drop everything he's doing, I got something more important for him to look at. He's gonna have his hands full..."

Kage and Xang were walking towards the west wing where the training grounds were, it also happened to be were the mess hall was.

"So, Kage what do you think about the Chrono..." Started Xang but was cut off by Kage

"I don't think, I just want to get something to eat, all this weird stuff is tiring me out." He replied

"Mhm, I know what you mean, but I can't help but be a little bit curious. In ancient history class they talked about a strange warrior about a thousand years ago that changed bodies with his enemy, he was supposed to be immensely powerful and used the legendary damned weapon Masamune."

"Yeah, so? I was awake for THAT class Xang." Commented Kage as they arrived at the Mess Hall, were a few other familiar faces were sitting and eating.

"Well, what I mean is, doesn't that sound a little bit about the second Chrono Trigger? I mean, Blake said he switched bodies with his enemy, and how many times does THAT happen?" answered Xang "Plus, the Masamune is said to be a damned weapon becomes its wielder becomes a maniacal berserker who kills all in his way. Anyone who could hold it and stay sane has to be special."

"It's all mythical bullshit Xang, Blake also said the guy died and came back to life, that's impossible. Even elements can only revive a man on the BRINK of death, but once you're gone, you're gone." Stated Kage with finality

"I don't think you've ever heard the saying, 'Every myth begins with a truth'."

"I don't think you've heard the saying 'Give it a rest already!'," retorted Kage

"But don't you at least wonder why Blake reacted like that?"

Kage ignored Xang's questions as he walked through the line, ordering a plate of Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Grits and Chocolate Milk. Xang ordered Bacon, Eggs and French Toast, with some Orange Juice. They walked to the end of the line, paid for their food and sat down at a nearby table. They began to eat quietly, chatting about the upcoming election for Mayor of Crescent Sun City.

"Mayor Reginald is going to be running for a second term this year Kage, are you going to vote for him?"

"I don't know, hell, I didn't even know he was our mayor till last week."

"You need to get more interested in political affairs, I mean, we signed up for the SDC in order to help Demi-Human rights, now here's another way to do it."

"I suppose your right, I just hate watching the news." Commented Kage as he bit into his sandwich.

"Well, there's only two candidates this year, Reginald and Corrin. They have a lot of opposing views, Reginald believes that Demi-Humans deserve to have the same wages as Humans, but Corrin is trying to relate with all the idiots who believe that we should undergo registration, have I.D. cards, and have restricted access to certain parts of the city. If he goes into office I don't think anybody here would break their neck trying to protect him from being assassinated," told Xang with a fierce glow in his eyes.

Kage nodded "It might end up being that way, the vast majority of the populace is Human, and most Humans are still pretty Anti-Demi. We only get to vote because we have fake I.D.s and can pass for human. We're pretty outnumbered politically."

Xang opened to his mouth to comment but was interrupted by the loud voice of one of the other older members sitting at another table "Yo Lunatic! Four eyes!" jeered the ox-man "Late again? Haha, what? Did Four- eyes lose his glasses and get lost, or did Loony-boy over there go crazy on a hydrant?"

Xang looked at Kage "Why does he always mess with us?" he asked tiredly

"It's an ego boost. I think it needs a little deflating." He looked at the joker "Hey Steve, shut the hell up before I turn you into a new pair of boots!"

"Oh no, Kage, please tell me you didn't just threaten a SUPERIOR officer?" groaned Xang

"There's nothing superior about this jackass." Replied Kage loudly

"Oh so now I'm a donkey? You got a lot of mouth rookie. I demand an apology right now." Steve smiled

"I apologize for the mistake." Said Kage

Xang was shocked, and Steve's friends laughed

Kage smiled and continued "I smelled you from all the way here, and the first thing that came to mind was ASS, my bad."

Xang burst out laughing and quickly covered his mouth but couldn't stop, Steve's friends laughed at him, which made Steve furious. "You Son of a Bitch. I'll have all your privileges revoked faster than you can squeal for your mommy."

"Oh look I'm shivering, now I can't use the free water cooler! Why don't you face me like a man? You pussy." Taunted Kage

Xang had stopped laughing by now "Kage! What in Hell are you doing? He'll slaughter you! Then he'll make you clean the entire base with a toothbrush, naked!"

"He can try, I've been getting sick of his lame jokes." Grinned Kage, then whispered to Xang quickly, "He's just higher ranked cause he's older and been here longer. He's got a battle rank only 2 levels higher than me. I can take him easy."

"Ok then, I'll teach you how to respect those above you rookie, you can thank me later, it's only what any GOOD father would have taught you."

Xang rose up. "That's going too far you piece of sh..." Kage rested his hand on his friends shoulder.

"It's ok, you don't need to get in trouble too, I'll take care of him." He then turned to Steve "The sparring room, 10 minutes. We'll see who'll be getting a beating." Then he and Xang walked away from they're unfinished breakfast.

"The first day back and already in trouble." Sighed Xang.


	3. Matador Kage! Protect the Record of Fate...

**Matador Kage! Protect the Record of Fate!**

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize._

_Last Time: _

Kage smiled and continued "I smelled you from all the way here, and the first thing that came to mind was ASS, my bad."

Xang burst out laughing and quickly covered his mouth but couldn't stop, Steve's friends laughed at him, which made Steve furious. "You son of a bitch. I'll have all your privileges revoked faster than you can squeal for your mommy."

"Oh look I'm shivering, now I can't use the free water cooler! Why don't you face me like a man? You pussy." Taunted Kage

Xang had stopped laughing by now "Kage! What in Hell are you doing? He'll slaughter you! Then he'll make you clean the entire base with a toothbrush, naked!"

"He can try, I've been getting sick of his lame jokes." Grinned Kage, then whispered to Xang quickly, "He's just higher ranked cause he's older and been here longer. He's got a battle rank only 2 levels higher than me. I can take him easy."

"Ok then, I'll teach you how to respect those above you rookie, you can thank me later, it's only what any GOOD father would have taught you."

Xang rose up. "That's going too far you piece of sh..." Kage rested his hand on his friends shoulder.

"It's ok, You don't need to get in trouble too, I'll take care of him." He then turned to Steve "The sparring room, 10 minutes. We'll see who'll be getting a beating." Then he and Xang walked away from they're unfinished breakfast.

"The first day back and already in trouble." Sighed Xang.

**Chapter 3 **

Xang found himself in the Sparring room with Kage and a few guys who had overheard about the supposed duel. Everyone was waiting for Steve to make his appearance. Xang glanced at Kage, who was fiddling with his hair.

"Geez, I still can't believe you did that bud." Xang said, with a short sigh.

Kage looked up at Xang. "I can."

Xang sighed again and looked over the room, it was quite large with walls that were egg white with lots of training equipment such as weights and punching bags on one side, and practice weapons made out of wood on the other side. The thing that stood out the most was the huge gray platform in the middle, which was where the fighting was to be done.

"I don't imagine you have a strategy for fighting Steve do ya?" said Xang indifferently in Kage's direction.

Kage was on the floor stretching his leg muscles, grunting slightly with the effort. "Nope not really," he replied as he switched to his left leg. "I was just planning on going in there, punching him a few times, maybe give him a kick to the kidney and that would be that."

Xang cleared his throat and replied quickly. "Oh? What if he wants a weapon battle or perhaps an element war? Remember, YOU challenged HIM, he has the right of choosing how you fight."

Kage put his hand on his chin and looked thoughtful for a second but was interrupted when another rookie walked up to him. He was a short boy with light blond hair, gray eyes and a very young looking face. "I'd just like to say that I'm really glad you're gonna fight that big oaf, he's been a pain to all the rookies, we all hope you wipe the floor with him!" he said excitedly as he walked back to where the others stood.

"Aww, that was so nice of them, I'm gonna give Steve an extra kick for those guys!" said Kage jubilantly

Xang's eyes followed the kid as he walked back, his eyes resting on one of the female rookies for a little too long, then returning back to meet Kage's gaze. He then replied without missing a beat. "That's nice Kage, just don't let Steve hear you say that."

"Too late bitch." Said the Ox as he walked into the room with his friends behind him. He was wearing his yellow muscle shirt with his thick, sculpted arms visible. He walked past Kage and jumped onto the platform. "Get up here."

Kage grinned and stood up. "Yes ma'am." He then walked up to the platform and stood opposite of Steve. "Rules?"

Steve glared and spoke loudly for everyone to hear. "Only rule. No elements. Everything else is fair."

Mostly everyone in the room knew what that meant; Steve was ready to pound Kage using any means necessary. Some feared silently for Kage, whom on his own was intimidating when he wanted to be, but was looking quite meek under the stature of his massive superior.

Xang stepped forward, with his hand in the air. "Ok, this match starts on 3, 1...2...3! Fight!"

Steve cracked his fists and smiled maliciously at Kage, he lowered into a stance with his arms bent at his side facing straight at Kage. He gave a deep throaty growl. Kage stared at him, standing very calmly and loose. He began to walk up to Steve smiling widely, but his eyes were hard, scanning everything about his opponent. Steve ran towards Kage and threw a wide swing powerful swing at the side of Kage's head that connected, sending Kage's body soaring to the right end of the ring. Kage's body was still and no noise had been uttered except for the sound of his body skidding against the ground.

The spectators had mixed looks of shock, disappointment, and sympathy. Xang simply stared at his fallen friend, silently hoping he was ok after that damaging blow.

Steve grinned victoriously. "Weakling! One hit K.O. He was all talk and no action!" He walked around fist pumped in the air. It was only when he noticed that his friend's faces were not longer smiling but instead had a very different look did he stop parading around. Steve slowly turned around, glancing behind his back. Kage stood where he had fallen, his head dipped and his raven black hair fallen over his face, blocking it's visibility, his head slowly rose and Steve was met with Kage's grinning face, his canines seemed to have grown, and his black eyes were piercing into Steve's.

"Is that the best you can do?" asked Kage with a deep voice that was not his own. "I hope not, because if it is, this will be quick."

Steve glared at him and charged again, swinging with his right again, and then following up with his left, Kage ducked under both and set his foot into Steve's chest, then he followed up with a spin and implanted his elbow in the same place with a forward step. Steve fell back onto the ground gasping for air.

"GO KAGE, kick his ass!" yelled the rookies.

Steve jumped back up and sent a jab at Kage's head, who simply moved a little to the left, another jab made him step to the right, again, again, again. Jab after jab was dodged in a rhythmic fashion. Kage was merely playing around. Steve ducked down and tried a sweep kick, but Kage simply jumped over it and ducked the follow up spinning punch. He then grabbed Steve's arm with his left, then turned around kicked Steve's right foot from out from underneath him and flipped Steve's over his shoulder. Steve fell heavily with a grunt.

"Damn, he's getting dominated in there." Said one of Steve's redheaded friends. "Why isn't that guy an elite?"

"I'll bet he'll be one after Chief hears about this."

Steve jumped back up and sent a barrage of swings and jabs at Kage almost twice as fast as he had before. Steve's rage was building inside of him and increasing his power. Kage was still dodging most of the blows but a few would graze him on the shoulder or ear. Steve tried a roundhouse kick, and another, and another. Kage glad for the break took to dodging the kicks slowly, then jumping back a few feet to gather his energy. Steve growled, "Damn you wolf!" as he ran towards the weapons and grabbed a wooden axe. Kage looked up from his slouched position just in time to dodge the swinging axe, then he back-flipped over another swing and jumped back to dodge again.

_'Damn, that axe has too much range, I can't get close!'_ Kage thought as he dodged again.

"Woo, Steve's coming back! He's gonna whup that rookie!" yelled the same redheaded friend.

Xang yelled at him "Shut up you imbecile! Kage will beat that stupid piece of bullshit down before you can say manure!"

The group of friends looked shocked that the usually calm Xang exploded at them, but it only took a moment for them to get angry. The redhead spoke again. "Another rookie who doesn't know his place! When you're friend gets his ass-kicked, you're next!"

Xang gulped.

Kage dodged one more time and tried to dash and get a punch through but he was swatted away by the wooden weapon. The attack left him disoriented and he wasn't able to dodge the next attack, a rising axe uppercut. Kage's body was thrown through the air again, towards the weapons wall. He stood up and shook his head and looked at the wall. "Why didn't I do this before?" he picked up the closest weapon to him, a wooden katana.

"I've never used one of these before." Kage mumbled to himself as he swung a few times in his left hand before changing it to his right and swinging again, then switching back to his left. 'Ok, feels pretty much the same. No problem.' He thought.

"Get back over here and take your beating like a man!" yelled Steve as he flipped his axe around in his hand expertly.

Kage looked at him with a frown. "Hold your horses."

"You son of a bitch. Acting like a fucking pussy." Taunted Steve

Kage surprised him by running full speed straight at him with the sword backwards in his right hand pointing towards the ground, as he approached Steve he spun out swinging the blade around and into the side of Steve's face.

_'Gotta keep watching action and samurai movies.' Kage_ thought to himself, proud of his sword technique.

Steve's face turned in and was etched in pain. He swung his axe in retaliation, which Kage deflected with a two-handed hold on his katana. He then tried a vertical swipe but Steve deftly stepped out of the way. They began a repetition of swinging and dodging that left the spectators in suspense of who would be able to make the next blow.

"You're going down mutt!" said Steve doing a 2 handed smash with his weapon. Kage lifted his sword and had to use two hands on both ends of the sword in order to combat the weight pressing down on him.

"Down like your mother? No thanks." Said Kage sarcastically as he pushed to remain standing.

_Elsewhere again..._

The man with white hair was inside the secret house, Earl the doorman was behind him, impaled to the wall by a short sword. "Why can't freaks follow orders?" he said as he and his team searched the house for anything suspicious. The man heard a voice from upstairs. "Hey! I think I found something in the bathroom!"

The man grinned. "Get ready fools. This is going to be fun."

_We return to our hero..._

"Would you like to call a draw?" asked Kage sweating under the exertion.

"How about you give up and admit I'm stronger." Replied Steve who was also showing fatigue.

"You have a serious ego trip dude." Said Kage.

Xang was waiting for something, anything to happen. They had been standing like that for minutes. He was kind of surprised that Kage could resist like that with an upward force, Steve had gravity on his side, but Kage was matching him without any outside help.

Kage finding that he couldn't last too much longer under this strain, was getting ready to try something risky, if he couldn't move fast enough, that axe would hit him, and at this point, if he got hit by anything, he'd be finished. 'Ok, here we go, on 3, 1...2...4...5...6...5...4...2...grr...3!' shouted Kage mentally as he dropped the right half of his sword while moving to the left, he then spun and swung his sword towards Steve's back. Whom Kage noticed was falling due to the lack of anything countering his downward force. Steve was struck with all the might that Kage could muster and let out a loud groan as he fell. Kage then walked slowly over to him and planted his wooden sword on the back of Steve's neck.

"I win." He said tiredly. Steve just banged his head on the floor.

Xang just looked at Steve's friends. "My boy won, so I guess you don't have to hurt me now right?"

The redhead looked at him. "Oh no, I'm still gonna kick your ass."

Xang gaped. "But you said 'When you're friend gets his ass-kicked, you're next!' and since he didn't get his ass kicked, you shouldn't kick my ass." Xang smiled smartly.

The redhead had a confused look, Xang's smile grew wider. 'What a bunch of idiots.'

The redhead was about to say something but was cut off by a loud explosion. "What the hell was that?"

"Huh?" voiced Xang, as he ran towards and out the door.

Kage was sitting on the edge of the platform trying to get some rest, when the explosion occurred all he did was raise an eyebrow and yawn. Steve remained passed out in the ring behind him. Kage hadn't been in the Corps long enough to know that an explosion had never been heard in the S.D.C. and it could only mean one thing, that someone was trying to get in. After two more explosions, Kage finally looked up, and walked slowly in the direction of the noise. He finally arrived next to Xang who was staring off into the distance. Kage looked too and was surprised with what he saw: just about every member of the Corps was fighting men dressed in black with guns and blades. The large gate that protected them was blown to smithereens, amongst the shrapnel one man stood out, a pale man with white hair and a sadistic grin. He wore a grey vest that hung just over the floor, and crisp grey dress pants. That dangerous man was observing the mayhem around him as he casually strolled towards the research hall, where the Record of Fate was being held.

"Kage, we have to help them, I don't know how they got in, but we can't just stand here!"

"No Xang, we have to stop that guy over there. I'll bet anything he's going after the Record of Fate! There really must have been something important in there!" He couldn't let these strangers get their hands on something potentially dangerous.

Xang looked at him. "But Kage..." he began but Kage interrupted him.

"Xang, no one in the Research hall is a fighter nor has any type of weapon, and I seriously I doubt any of them could take on that guy even if they did! If we don't help out, they'll all be slaughtered!"

Xang nodded reluctantly and they set off to help, dodging past warriors and sword swipes, stepping over fallen comrades and dead enemies.

_'I hope we can stop him.'_ Kage thought, as he tried to block out the sounds of swords and guns and death.


	4. The Albino! Hopeless Battle

**The Albino! Hopeless Battle.**

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize._

_Last Time:_

"Kage, we have to help them, I don't know how they got in, but we can't just stand here!"

"No Xang, we have to stop that guy over there. I'll bet anything he's going after the Record of Fate! There really must have been something important in there!" He couldn't let these strangers get their hands on something potentially dangerous.

Xang looked at him. "But Kage..." he began but Kage interrupted him.

"Xang, no one in the Research hall is a fighter nor has any type of weapon, and I seriously I doubt any of them could take on that guy even if they did! If we don't help out, they'll all be slaughtered!"

Xang nodded reluctantly and they set off to help, dodging past warriors and sword swipes, stepping over fallen comrades and dead enemies.

_'I hope we can stop him.'_ Kage thought, as he tried to block out the sounds of swords and guns and death.

**Chapter 4**

Breathe. Huff. Gasp. _'Don't stop!' 'Can't stop!' 'He's behind me!'_ "Aaaaaagghh!!" Smile. Die.

Kage and Xang ran down the hall following the shouts and screams of the researchers in the Examination Lab. Kage's face was tight, his ears were twitching in response to each scream. Xang gave him a momentary look of pity as he began to recount what he and his friend had just experienced.

_Flashback… _

"Where did he go?" asked Kage "Which way?"

Xang responded distressfully, "I don't know, I didn't see him." Something moved in the corner of his eyesight. "Over there! That way!"

They soon found that the movement was an old man with a name tag that said Albert. He was slumped in a corner breathing raggedly. Fresh blood was pouring out from a wound in his side at a steady rate. Xang began to cast an element but the man grasped his hand. "That man," Albert coughed and some blood spilled out onto his shirt "he went down the hall to the left. Please stop him…" The old man's body gave one final shudder as his time on this Earth expired.

"Damn it," said Kage as he dashed off in the direction that Albert had revealed. Simon Xang took a moment to silently thank the old man for his help and quickly followed.

_Back to the present _

"Only a monster could kill someone who can't defend themselves," said Xang.

Kage didn't respond, his ears were twitching much more rapidly. "The sounds are getting too quiet."

Xang began to speed up but slowed down as they burst through the entrance doors. Kage walked up next to him and was forced to immediately cover his nose. "We're too late."

The Examination Lab was completely wrecked; the bodies of the researchers were slung unceremoniously aside. The normally egg white walls were coated in thick red blood and the meticulously organized equipment was littering the floor. The two took a moment to gain their bearings as the albino man that they had been chasing searched for the Record. He gave the two intruders no heed as he searched. As the two began to approach, the man began to speak.

"It's about time, you've been following me since we were in the main hall, haven't you?" He turned to them and set a bag on one of tables.

_'That's the Record.'_ thought Kage.

The albino swirled his finger in a puddle of blood on the table. "Do you like what I've done with the place? It was so bland, I thought I'd color it up a bit."

"You sick bastard." said Kage.

"You're twisted" said Xang also.

The man smiled "Maybe, but you two are stupid. Did you even bother to check to see if the Record had a tracker on it?"

Comprehension dawned on the pair's faces. Xang felt a sudden pang of fear "Oh no, no, we didn't…"

"You did. All the way from that warehouse. We ordered our operatives to place it on the bag just in case they ran into any trouble. It was an added bonus that you took it all the way to your secret base."

Kage's anger spread wildly throughout his body and he grabbed his guns and squeezed off two shots. The man merely smiled again and stood still. "Horrible aim. Try again."

Kage roared and unleashed a volley of bullets at the man. The albino lifted his hand and a metal slab rose up in front of him. The bullets ricocheted off harmlessly. "Better."

"Shit, I think he's silver innate. He used that element too fast. " observed Xang.

"If he is then my guns are practically useless." replied Kage. "Just my luck, one in two thousand, and one just happens to work for the Syndicate." He holstered his guns, and got into a fighting stance.

"Give the mutt a cookie!" said the albino as he pulled a long silver katana from a sheath on his back. He swung it carelessly in the air and pointed it towards Xang. "Sushi anyone?"

"Smart ass." Replied Xang. He vaulted over a table and stood facing the man. There were no obstacles in his way now. "We're going to make you pay for all the innocent people you killed."

The man began to reply but was stopped short as Xang began his assault. Xang stepped forward and threw a punch but the man stepped back and retaliated with an onslaught of sword slashes that Xang was forced to dodge.

'_Damn, he's good with that sword, real good, I can't find any room to counter-attack._' Thought Xang as he backflipped over a low swipe and landed on a table. He kicked a microscope at the albino and took the opportunity to get some breathing room. Kage ran forward and swung his claws at the man, he ducked low, spinning as he descended with his claw outstretched. He managed to graze the man's leg but was unable to follow up for fear of the katana. Kage rose and swung his left claw at the man's face but it made contact with the blade's side and was repelled. Xang rushed from behind and did a Flying Kick but the man grabbed his leg in mid-air and swung him into Kage.

"Ouch, sorry man." said Xang wincing from the pain. He stood up and brushed himself off before he rushed back into the fight. They locked in combat for a minute before Xang was knocked down again by a painful drop kick. Kage jumped over his friend and sent a fist firmly into the man's chest. The man took the blow unflinching and responded with: a right swing, followed by a knee to the crotch that forced Kage to keel over and a savage downward blow that smashed Kage's face into the floor. The man grabbed Kage by the hair and picked him off the floor. Then he grabbed one of Kage's guns and shot him in the thigh. Kage shouted as the bullet embedded itself in the bone. He then aimed the gun higher, and dragged Kage to the table where the Record was sitting. Xang had gotten up, and had his arm risen towards the man.

"Let him go." He demanded, trying to fight off the sense of dizziness in his head.

The man laughed at him and shook Kage's head. "Are you really sure you'll hit me? Or will you get your friend here?" Kage grit his teeth, the man still had his gun, there was nothing he could do right now, his fate was in Xang's hands. The man grabbed the bag; the gun was still aimed at Kage's head. "Thanks for all the fun. I like you two, even if you are demi-human scum, so I won't kill you right now. Besides, I have enough blood in my hair. I'll stink like Demis for weeks. Whatever. Don't follow me, and you'll live. Simple. If you come after me though, I won't hesitate to kill you both." The man let go of Kage and smashed him in the back of the head with the gun. He slung the Record over his shoulder and aimed the gun at Xang as he ran through the double door exit. After a moment, Kage grit his teeth and forced himself to get up. He tried to focus on using a NOSTRUM but the splitting headache from the blow kept cracking his concentration. Xang walked over and used a CUREALL on them. Xang's dizziness faded and Kage's wounds and aches softened.

"Thanks," said Kage as he rubbed his head "we have to catch him."

Xang shook his head. "He's too strong. He'll kill us if we fight him again."

Kage looked him in the eyes. "I know, but I can't just let him get away."

Xang sighed and shook his head again, making up his mind. "I knew hanging with you was going to get me killed one of these days. Fine, let's go."

The two made their way back into the main hall. "He's probably heading for the transport pod now that he has the Record," said Xang.

Kage nodded in agreement and started making his way through the remaining fights. They got a quick glance of their target as he decapitated a man in a sword lock with one of the Syndicate. They were right; he was heading straight for the exit. They sped up as they saw him walk into the security room. Kage evaded an axe swing from a random Syndicate and continued on without pause. Unfortunately for Xang, who was behind Kage, the man had taken notice of the skinny looking Xang and was ready for blood.

"Get out of my way." Shouted Xang

"No way four eyes. I'm gonna slice you and dice you till your nice and bite size," said the Syndicate.

Xang got in his stance and charged. _'Hold on Kage!'_

Kage finally made his way into the security area, but he had no time to pause and stare at the bodies that had been sacrificed in order to destroy the turrets. He simply traveled as quickly as possible to get to the transport pod. He arrived just as the man was about to step onto the pod and escape. "Stop!" he yelled loudly.

The man stopped and set his bag down. He turned around with a frown and spoke disappointedly "Tsk, I had hoped your basic instinct for survival was still intact."

"I can't let you get away"

"Even if it costs you your life?"

"Even if."

"Do you intend to fight me all alone?"

"If I have to."

"Do you honestly think you can win?"

"Does it honestly matter?"

The man smiled and moved into a fighting stance. He left his sword sheathed. Kage moved into his fighting stance also. They stared each other down, trying to see who would move first, a minute passed before they both struck at the same time. The albino threw a jab then followed up with a kick from the left. Kage blocked the jab with his forearm and lifted his knee to block the kick. He lowered his leg and quickly returned with a high kick of his own that the albino dodged with ease. The albino swung Kage's legs out from under him and rose back up to implant his heel in Kage's stomach. Kage gagged from the force of the foot in his gut but pushed the foot off and did a rising uppercut that connected with the albino's jaw.

The albino wiped the blood from is mouth. "Good, much better than before."

Kage smirked and replied smartly. "No weapons this time. Speaking of which, you still have my gun."

The albino smiled and pulled out the aforementioned gun. "This thing?" he quickly disassembled it "You can have it back." The albino threw the parts to the floor in front of Kage. "That is, if you survive."

Kage growled and attacked again. The fight continued on for a grueling fifteen minutes, they fought brutally, matching each other more or less blow for blow. It was obvious that the albino was stronger than Kage but Kage was determined not to lose. The man ducked low and tried to sweep Kage off his feet again but Kage anticipated it this time and quickly jumped up and implanted his knee into the side of the albino's face. The albino stumbled and Kage saw the opportunity to finish the fight. He dashed forward, right claw extended and reaching for his foe's neck. Unfortunately, the man recovered quickly and sent a powerful punch towards Kage's thigh as he evaded. Kage yelled in pain as his wound was disturbed and in his moment of weakness he found a sword stabbed through his stomach. Kage choked on the sudden rush of blood in his mouth, his vision was starting to become hazy, and his mind was in a state of panic.

"You dirty bastard." Kage choked out as the man jerked his sword out, releasing a spew of crimson blood.

The man smiled and rubbed the blood onto his fingers. "Take my name with you into the afterlife." He said as Kage stumbled to his knees "I am Vice Magus," he wiped the blood on Kage's back "and I never lose." He turned his back to Kage and walked towards the pod, grabbing the Record as he rose up. Kage lay on the floor as his lifeblood spilled out of his middle. Someone was screaming far away, but he couldn't make out the sound anymore. All he could see was black, he was in a black tunnel, one that led into the afterlife and there was the light, a brilliant shining light, of the deepest purple.


	5. The Eyes! Mission Time!

**The Eyes. Mission Time!**

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize_

_Last Time: _

The albino stumbled and Kage saw the opportunity to finish the fight. He dashed forward, right claw extended and reaching for his foe's neck. Unfortunately, the man recovered quickly and sent a powerful punch towards Kage's thigh as he evaded. Kage yelled in pain as his wound was disturbed and in his moment of weakness he found a sword stabbed through his stomach. Kage choked on the sudden rush of blood in his mouth, his vision was starting to become hazy, and his mind was in a state of panic.

"You dirty bastard." Kage choked out as the man jerked his sword out, releasing a spew of crimson blood.

The man smiled and rubbed the blood onto his fingers. "Take my name with you into the afterlife." He said as Kage stumbled to his knees "I am Vice Magus," he wiped the blood on Kage's back "and I never lose." He turned his back to Kage and walked towards the pod, grabbing the Record as he rose up. Kage lay on the floor as his lifeblood spilled out of his middle. Someone was screaming far away, but he couldn't make out the sound anymore. All he could see was black, he was in a black tunnel, one that led into the afterlife and there was the light, a brilliant shining light, of the deepest purple.

**Chapter 5**

'_It is time for you to wake Trigger, I wish to be amused._'

In a starch white room, a pair of eyes opened.

_In another place..._

"Hey Xang! Give me a hand over here! I'm trying to fix the program that controls the doors in the conference halls but I don't know how to read this code!" yelled a technician as he sat in a chair and stared bewilderedly as a flashing computer screen. He was trying to get the computer back in working order, but it seemed like everything he tried only made the screen flash harder.

"Ok! Just a moment!" yelled Xang as he deposited a box of damaged electrical gadgets on a convenient desk. He jumped over a hole in the floor and walked over to the computer, did a few keystrokes at the terminal and the flashing stopped.

The technician stood up and shook Xang's hand, "Thanks man. Hey, how's Kage holding up? You been to see him lately?" asked the technician conversationally as he returned to work on another computer. This one only needed some basic repairs to the CPU, nothing too complex.

"Yeah, I go to see him everyday. He's looking well, he hasn't woken up yet but the doc says it could be any day now." told Xang.

The technician nodded at him with a slight smile and turned back to the keyboard. Xang walked away, moving in the direction of the Sick Bay. In the corner of his eyes he noticed a female technician in a skirt climbing up a ladder to fix a broken light. '_Kage won't mind a quick detour..._' he thought with a wicked look in his eyes as he changed direction.

_In the Sickbay..._

Kage moaned as he rose slightly, his muscles ached from disuse, and his eyes were watery. He looked around at the sterile white room around him and nodded to himself once he recognized his surroundings. The room was long and had several empty beds lying in rows on both sides. On the other side of the room, in a separate little office was an elderly man in a lab coat sitting at a desk. Their eyes met and the man rose from his chair with a little effort and walked slowly towards Kage.

"Welcome back to the land of the living Mr. Lunatic." said the doctor as he picked up a clipboard hanging at the end of Kage's bed and scanned its contents.

"Doesn't look like their's very much life around here if you ask me," replied Kage as he watched the doctor, whose name-tag said Erons, check off some things on the clipboard.

"How do you feel?" asked Dr. Erons

"My muscles are sore, especially in my neck and my eyes hurt a little bit. Other than that I feel alright." he replied honestly. It wasn't the first time he'd been stuck in the infirmary, and he knew exactly what kind of information the doctor was looking for.

"Ok, good, that's to be expected. You've been in the hospital for the greater part of this month, your eyes and muscles haven't had much work done so they'll be a little sore for awhile."

"Ok thanks, so when can I leave?" Kage inquired. Not that he didn't like the infirmary or anything, but it gets boring just sitting around with nothing to do.

"Today if you like, you seem to be just fine. I'd like for you to come back for a check-up a week from now if you can just to be sure."

Kage was glad to hear that and made a move to get up but a look from the doctor made him hesitate.

"Before you do that, I'd like to remind you that you were stabbed through the abdomen and though we were able to help you with a large amount of recovery elements you will probably feel significant pain in that region for a small while. So take it easy. Also, after the surgery one of the nurses noticed that you had undergone bioelementosis."

Kage sat up all the way and indeed noticed that his middle and some of his back did indeed hurt quite a bit, "Bioelementosis is when the body temporarily changes due to overexposure to elements right?"

Dr. Erons nodded his head, "That is correct Mr. Lunatic, normally the symptoms last about two to three weeks and diminish exponentially until the residual traces of elements completely disappear from the body, but in your case, as I have just noticed, your changes are still as pronounced as they were when they first appeared."

At this, Kage looked over his body to search for the changes, except for some new scars and wounds that would eventually heal; there was nothing that he could find different. Even the hair in front of his eyes was the same deep black as it was when he was born. "First, if you don't mind, what is it that changed exactly? And secondly, how long do you think it will last then?"

The doctor decided to answer his second question first, "To be honest, I have never seen any incident of bioelementosis that has lasted over two weeks much less one that hasn't even started showing signs of diminishing. With that in mind, I can't honestly predict how long it will last or if it's a permanent change. I'd like to look over that when you check back in next week as well."

Kage looked at him, patiently waiting for the answer to his first question as he pondered this new information.

The doctor pulled a small compact mirror from his back pocket and gave it to Kage who looked at him curiously as he opened it up and glanced into it. Kage noticed immediately what the change was, his normally dark brown eyes were now a scarlet red, the irises also seemed to have widened slightly.

"That's interesting. I guess I could live with it, at least they aren't piss yellow or something." said Kage as he returned the mirror.

"Yes, it is remarkable that the changes only affected your eyes when most of the element flow was directed towards your torso and leg. In any case, I should have the papers prepared for your discharge in about fifteen minutes. I'm sure your friends will be happy to see you up and running again, you've had quite a few come in to see you while you were out."

Kage nodded thoughtfully and the doctor walked away.

"I wouldn't exactly say I had a lot of friends here, just coworkers and some acquaintances. Speaking of which, I wonder what Xang is up to?'

At that same moment, Xang was rather hastily walking away from a rather scandalized young woman, while simultaneously rubbing a hand shaped impression on his face. "Geez, she really smacked me one and all I did was look this time," he muttered. He brightened up considerably once he walked into the sick bay. "Kage! You're awake!"

Kage grinned back at him, "Nice to see you too Xang."

"Who said I was happy to see you? I was hoping to enjoy all this rest I was getting a little longer," said Xang looking appalled "perhaps even take a vacation to Valencia!" he finished with a wink.

Kage laughed heartily, "Well, sorry to burst your bubble but any vacation you may be planning to go on is now officially canceled, unless you plan on taking me with you."

"Sure, if you're paying for our tickets."

Kage smiled again. Few things could cheer him up better than his best friend, whom he loved like the brother he never had. He looked at Xang who was smiling as well, but it looked like he had something else to say. Kage looked up at him expectantly.

"Kage, how are you feeling? You were pretty far gone there for a while," asked Xang sincerely.

"I'm okay now," said Kage "But I wanted to ask you a few questions, everything I remember is pretty hazy." He turned to get a better position to look at his friend, ignoring the pain in his gut. "What happened after I was stabbed?"

Xang explained that he had been held up in a fight and had tried his best to finish quickly but had ended up having to take on two armed enemies without any weapons at his disposal. When he finally defeated them, he caught up with Kage just in time to see him get stabbed and for the man to escape with the bag. Xang told him about how he used all the elements he could to patch him up some and carried him to the sick bay.

"You mean you carried me through a battlefield all the way from the entrance to the sick bay, while dealing with element exhaustion?" asked Kage incredulously.

"Well it wasn't as difficult as it sounds. Restorative elements aren't quite as tiring as attack elements, and after that white-haired man escaped, the Syndicate pretty much retreated." told Xang.

"In any case, I owe you a big one Xang. Thanks a lot."

Xang nodded his acceptance and entertained Kage for a while of stories of things that happened while he was out. Commander Blake had apparently been fighting a dozen or so enemies and was pretty much dominating them all when a frightened S.D.C. Rookie had stumbled onto the situation and. in his fear for the Commander, attempted to help out by throwing a large hardback book at an enemy. The book went wide and smacked the unaware Commander in the back of the head, knocking him out cold. Luckily the Syndicate officers had decided to retreat at that moment, or else it could have turned very ugly. Commander Blake had been sleeping in the sick bay for a day when he suddenly jumped up looking for the Syndicate. Then a nurse explained to him what had happened. When Blake heard that, he swore he would find the rookie that had hit him and personally force him to undergo constant grueling target practice for everyday he was knocked out.

Kage found this hilarious and began to laugh in earnest; unfortunately the clench in his abdomen sent a sharp shock through him. "Ow, I might wanna go easy on the laughter for a while." He muttered as he cautiously stood up out of the bed.

"Do you know when you'll be able to leave?" asked Xang

Kage yawned and stretched, ignoring the pain it caused. "Yeah, the doc said I could leave today, he's getting my papers ready now. I gotta come back next week though for the check-up though."

At this moment, Dr. Erons opened the door, and walked in. He had the papers in one hand and in the other was something wrapped in paper. "Ok then, you're all set to go." he said as he pulled out the receipt and handed it to Kage. He also pulled out another paper that Kage had to sign, and then handed him the wrapped item. "Thank you. There are the clothes that you were wearing. We washed them and sewed them back up for you."

"Hey, thanks a lot. That saves me the trouble of doing it myself." said Kage as he shook Dr. Erons' hand. Dr. Erons smiled and with a nod to Xang, left the room to work on other matters.

After that, Kage got dressed in his clothes, and then he and Xang made their way out of the Sick Bay and back into the main structure. Kage was able to take in all of the damages caused by Syndicate Infiltration. Even after a month, there were still things to be fixed. He walked forward and touched a wall that still had a black scorch mark on it. He imagined in his mind an unaware rookie surprised by the sudden attack, running away, trying to dodge a flame element thrown by a merciless radical without regard for human life. It almost made his eyes water, seeing the still clear outline in the ash that showed that the target had indeed been met.

A hand touched Kage on the shoulder tentatively "Yeah, I know. I can barely stand to look at it either, but the burns are in too deep, we'll have to replace the wall to get rid of it," said Xang with a bitter face.

Kage just nodded, and walked away from the wall. They made their way to the common so that Kage could see everybody, now that he was out of the infirmary. When they arrived, there was only a fraction of the number of people normally in the room. Some were sitting and chatting idly, whilst others were doing checks for any other repairs, though Kage couldn't see anything that needed to be fixed from where he was standing. Kage and Xang took a seat next to two girls, one of which was clinging on to a rather handsome looking guy.

"Oh hey Xang. You must be Kage, hello. My name is Mark. It's nice to see you up and out. My girlfriend has told me a bit about you and what happened" said the male, stretching his hand out for Kage to shake

Kage took his hand, whilst making eye contact with Mark's girlfriend Sandra, who blushed slightly. He redirected his eyes back to Mark's and decided to be friendly, "Nice to meet you, I was a bit surprised that you knew who I was. I don't really know everyone here, mostly rookies and a few of the elite, such as Sandra."

Mark nodded his head, "Yes, I thought that you might be a bit reclusive, but Sandra decided to set me straight when I brought it up with her. She said you were a wild guy who just chose not to go out of the way to meet people."

Xang chuckled, "I wouldn't say he was wild, just a little touched in the head."

Sandra and her unnamed friend chuckled, Xang decided this was a good sign and moved over to try to initiate a conversation with Sandra's brunette friend. Kage faintly wondered if Xang had any ulterior motives other than just friendly conversation.

Mark and Sandra continued speaking with Kage; they had been out on assignment during the raid, so they hadn't seen all of what had happened. They had gotten briefed on the events but they hadn't really had anyone tell them anything concrete as to how and why the Syndicate attacked them. Kage explained to them what happened and they asked about how he got injured and when he woke up.

"Oh, I just woke up earlier not too long ago, the doc discharged me pretty much immediately after that." he explained

"Really?" asked Sandra "That's lucky. When are your eyes going to return to normal?" Mark looked bewildered for a moment, not realizing that Kage's eyes weren't their normal color.

Kage shrugged, and decided to answer Mark's unspoken question as well "I don't know, the doc says my eyes might never turn brown again. They've apparently been this way for about a month. He wants me to check in next week."

"Wow, that's amazing. I wouldn't mind having red eyes. They look good." said Mark in slight awe.

Kage shrugged again, "I've got nothing against them. I was never too attached to my original eye color."

Kage wanted to know if they had any information concerning the Syndicate as of late. Mark told him that they hadn't been able to find out much information, except that they had been looting a lot of historical documents and museums lately, rumor was that they were looking for something again. Apparently, the SDC was being run by Maria Renil, Blake's deputy commander, for the last month, and she's had her hands full just trying to direct repairs and damage control.

After a while, Kage and Xang bid the three good afternoon and decided to go to the gym so that Kage could stretch his limbs.

"So Renil is the big dog around here now?" said Kage offhandedly

Xang smirked "Yeah, she's doing a pretty good job, but you can tell she doesn't like having to do her job and Blake's as well. She's been pretty irritable lately."

"You mean beyond her normally bitchy demeanor? Wow, it's always the pretty ones." said Kage as they approached the gymnasium.

Xang chuckled and opened the door leading to the gym and let Kage in.

There were many more people here than in the common. Apparently the shock of defeat was enough motivation for many to decide to practice their skills. Practically every exercise machine, simulation bay, and sparring ring was in use. There were even some who had fallen back on shadow boxing and practicing katas. Kage sighed, it didn't seem like there was space to do anything here. "I guess we should get out of here Xang, it doesn't seem like we'll be able to get anything done with all these people here."

Xang shrugged nonchalantly and followed Kage out of the gym. On the way out, they noticed a middle-aged woman standing in the hallway. She had blonde hair that hung to the middle of her back, and was wearing a female uniform, however, where the normal uniform was gray, her uniform was a deep blue, and held a few extra ornaments to help it stand out. She was looking at a clipboard and talking on her radio to someone. As Kage and Xang walked by, she looked up.

"Marco, hold on. I'll call you back, I have some other business to take care of. Thanks." she said as she clicked off the radio. She began to walk towards Kage and Xang, who hadn't taken notice of her and had continued walking towards the exit. "Excuse me, Mr. Lunatic, Mr. Xang. May I have a word with you?"

Kage and Xang immediately recognized her without turning around. "Good afternoon, Ms. Resin. How are you doing?" said Xang politely

"I'm tired and I'm overworked, but thank you for asking. I need to see you two in my office in twenty minutes, you have a new assignment."

Kage spoke up incredulously "What? Already! I just got discharged from the infirmary!"

She began walking away, "We'll talk about it later in my office." she said from over her shoulder.

"Ain't that a bitch?" commented Kage after she was gone.

"If she is, she's a bitch with a nice tail" said Xang as he gazed at her retreating form.

"She's over a decade older than us Xang" said Kage with slight disgust

"You know what they say about mature women" said Xang slyly

"Ugh, I rather not think about her like that."

_10 minutes later_

Kage and Xang walked into Ms. Resin's office. It was very similar to Blake's except smaller in size. She had only one weapon on the wall, a small dagger in a sheath. Instead, the wall was covered in pictures of people that looked somewhat like her. She was already sitting down at her desk writing something down when they came in. She waved them towards two seats in front of her desk and they sat down. After a moment, she laid her pen down and looked up. "Welcome Mr. Kage, Mr. Simon."

"Please, just call me Xang" said Xang, grimacing at the use of his first name

"Very well, Xang. I called you here as you know, because you two have a new assignment to carry out." she said very calmly though she seemed to be expecting something.

Xang nodded his head, and Kage grimaced "May I ask why I'm being assigned a mission fresh out of my sick bed?

Maria smiled thinly "Because Mr. Lunatic, Commander Blake has informed me that you two are the only ones that have met our target, and we would like for this to go as smoothly as possible."

"Where is Commander Blake?" asked Kage at the same time as Xang asked "Who's the target?"

Maria Resin sat up straighter in her chair, ready to begin her official business, "Commander Blake, while being technically well, has decided to take a short leave to attend to some personal issues and recuperation. Your target is a friend of his; I believe he goes by the name Lazarus Arreglas."

_'Figures, it's that old man.'_ thought Kage. "Fine, so what exactly are we supposed to be doing?"

"Your mission is to travel to the town of Fern, where Lazarus has taken refuge with his cousin. Once you find him, you are to escort him back here." stated Maria

"Wait, why is he all the way out in Fern, why didn't he just stay down here?" asked Xang, confused as to why Lazarus would leave Crescent Sun, if he wanted to be protected by them.

"Honestly, he's been hunted by the Syndicate for quite a while now. He has a knack for disappearing when he doesn't want to be found. After the invasion, we simply didn't have the supplies or manpower to protect him if the Syndicate decided to attack us again to get to him. He's only recently contacted us in search of aid, and Commander Blake decided you two should be the ones to help him, under the condition that you were alive and well of course."

"Damn, I guess I should have stayed in la-la land then" said Kage sarcastically

"Perhaps Mr. Lunatic, however that is not the case. You are alive, and you are well, more or less, so the mission is yours. Good luck. I expect you both to be on the first flight to Fern tomorrow."

Kage and Xang stood up, Xang nodded his head in respect, and they made their way out of her office. Xang looked at Kage, gauging how irritated he was, and decided to speak. "I guess that could be considered your welcome back party."

Kage hit him over the back of the head, and kept walking. He wasn't really all that irritated with being given an assignment, he just couldn't stop thinking about the albino who stabbed him. He wanted to be out searching for him, trying to get the Record back. He didn't want to be wasting his time babysitting some old man.

"I'm tired, and we're gonna have to get up early tomorrow. So I'm gonna get some sleep in one of the dormitories." said Kage as he stifled a yawn.

"Ok then, I'll see you in the morning then. Wake up around 7 ok?" said Xang as he watched Kage begin walking towards the dorms.

"Yeah, I will. See ya."


	6. Assignment: The Village of Fern

**Assignment: The Village of Fern.**

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize_

_Last time:_

"Wait, why is he all the way out in Fern, why didn't he just stay down here?" asked Xang, confused as to why Lazarus would leave Crescent Sun, if he wanted to be protected by them.

"Honestly, he's been hunted by the Syndicate for quite a while now. He has a knack for disappearing when he doesn't want to be found. After the invasion, we simply didn't have the supplies or manpower to protect him if the Syndicate decided to attack us again to get to him. He's only recently contacted us in search of aid, and Commander Blake decided you two should be the ones to help him, under the condition that you were alive and well of course."

"Damn, I guess I should have stayed in la-la land then" said Kage sarcastically

"Perhaps Mr. Lunatic, however that is not the case. You are alive, and you are well, more or less, so the mission is yours. Good luck. I expect you both to be on the first flight to Fern tomorrow."

Kage and Xang stood up, Xang nodded his head in respect, and they made their way out of her office. Xang looked at Kage, gauging how irritated he was, and decided to speak. "I guess that could be considered your welcome back party."

Kage hit him over the back of the head, and kept walking. He wasn't really all that irritated with being given an assignment, he just couldn't stop thinking about the albino who stabbed him. He wanted to be out searching for him, trying to get the Record back. He didn't want to be wasting his time babysitting some old man.

"I'm tired, and we're gonna have to get up early tomorrow. So I'm gonna get some sleep in one of the dormitories." said Kage as he stifled a yawn.

"Ok then, I'll see you in the morning then. Wake up around 7 ok?" said Xang as he watched Kage begin walking towards the dorms.

"Yeah, I will. See ya."

**Chapter 6**

_10:38 a.m._

Kage and Xang lifted up their duffel bags and stepped out of the aeroport. Kage stuck his license back into the pocket of his black trench coat. He had to show the guard his license to carry weapons when they had passed the checkpoint. Security had been mightily alarmed when he had tried to pass by with twin black berretta handguns strapped to his sides. They even checked Xang, who had his element grid and several throwing knives known as shuriken in his bag. He too showed his license and had already replaced it into his wallet. He took a deep breath through his nose as he walked out into the open air outside the building. Kage continued on walking beside him with an exaggerated yawn. He didn't like having to wake up so early to catch a plane and had slept the whole way. Xang had read two books, trying to keep his mind off the flight itself. He wasn't a fan of heights. He would have been much happier to travel by car or boat. However time was precious and they needed to reach Fern as soon as possible. They weren't even there yet. Fern was surrounded by mountains that emitted a disruptive radiation due to the large concentration of pure element crystals within them. An element fueled plane would crash within a mile of the town. As such, it was only approachable by train, and then a person would have to walk the remaining mile into the town. The trains all stopped before hitting the force field in order to avoid befalling the same fate as the planes.

They stopped walking as a voice began to echo in their ears. "Merman, Lunarwolf, this is Resin, do you copy?"

Xang touched a small button on the transceiver in his ear and replied promptly, "Copy that, Resin, we hear you loud and clear."

"Hey Maria, how are ya?" said Kage into his own receiver. He could hear her sigh and what he believed to be a smack on a head.

"Why can't you ever just follow protocol?" she asked exasperatedly, "It's too early for your crap."

"I don't know, beats me. I figure nobody knows this frequency anyhow." he grinned, "We just made it out of the airport, we're on our way to the station for final transport to the destination."

"Much better, I like good news. Continue on, it shouldn't be too far away. Contact me when you get on, and when you get off. I might not be able to communicate with you once you're at the destination." she replied and they heard a sound which signified her closing the frequency.

The two continued on, catching a cab to the train station. When they got there, they purchased two tickets to the Fern stop and waited a few minutes before they were told to board. The train was small, with dull faded carpet and smudged windows. The entire train seemed to be empty except for the conductor, so the two sat down and Xang pulled out his book again. Kage pulled out a music device and pulled out his transceiver, replacing it with his earphones. Xang decided it was easier not to comment, as long as he had his in, they'd get the messages anyways.

_'Speaking of which, I need to contact her to tell her that we're on board.'_ thought Xang as he tweaked his transceiver again.

After that, the ride went by quietly, Kage ended up falling asleep again, and Xang stole one of his earphones and listened for awhile to the screeching metal music that Kage favored. As the train stopped, Xang pulled the earphone out and shook Kage awake. Kage got up with a slight groan and collected their stuff. As they stepped off the train, they found themselves looking directly at a dark tunnel going through a humongous mountain. They could feel a slight pressure from the mountain itself, the power of the elements there reacting with their own grids.

"Ok, better call in I guess." Kage told Xang

Xang nodded and sent the signal. "Hey Resin, we're outside the mountain and the energy field, we need to cross through the tunnel and then we'll be in Fern."

"Good job, our target said that he'd be staying with family in the far back of the town, try to remain inconspicuous, you never know if the Syndicate already has operatives here searching as well. The location should be a small green complex."

"Ok, thanks Resin. Over." said Xang, he looked at Kage who just shrugged and began walking towards the tunnel.

The tunnel was long, and very poorly lit. Kage seemed fine, but Xang moved as if he thought something would pop out from the shadows at any moment. He touched his belt, making sure that the little pouch attached to his side held his weapons in case his nerves were right. Twenty minutes later they emerged from the tunnel without conflict. They now could see the village in their immediate direction, to the left lied a lush green forest of immeasurable size. They continued on towards the village and were soon on the main road, looking around as many demi-humans walked back and forth doing their daily chores and jobs. The town was quaint in its simple structure and design. Almost all of the buildings were made of wood, or an obviously handmade brick. Vines wrapped around many of the walls of the buildings. In the distance, they could see houses that followed the same basic structure and style as the rest of the town, with small gardens in front of each. All of the roads leading through the town were dusty, and there were several wells situated throughout out the village. On the outskirts of the town to the north and east where larger fields that the entire village tended to.

"Fern Village: an agricultural village with a historical background of being a haven for demi-humans during many years of persecution. The founder's name is unknown, but it was said that he had wandered here escaping from hunters. He hid in the forest to the West and eventually started this town in order to help others like him." said Kage as he read off of a posted board on a large sign near the village entrance.

"Interesting, I wasn't aware this village had such a history." said Xang

"Yeah, me neither. I met a guy once from here, nice dude. Had a bit of a thing against humans though." said Kage

"That's not hard to imagine though is it?" replied Xang

Kage shook his head and continued on into the town square. A grand tree grew in the middle of the square, and many people were standing around talking under its shade. Demis of all shapes and sizes meandered here; every beast that Kage could think of was represented. Most were so obviously demis that there was no wonder in his mind as to why they preferred to live here amongst other demis.

"I don't like it, there's all these new faces showing up in village. It's suspicious I tell ya, they're all up to no good." said an elderly demi to another, not noticing the two behind him.

Kage bent over and whispered in Xang's ear "I don't like the sound of that. We're probably not the only ones here."

Xang nodded, and they silently moved away so they wouldn't be out in the open. From there, they continued onwards to the back of the town, where the residences where situated. They continued on, looking for the green house. However many of the houses could be considered green, not only because of the plant life growing on them, but also because it seemed to be a popular color. Eventually however, they saw a house that fit the description. It was green, all of it. Green walls, green grass, green picket fence. Everything about the house was the color green, and it was large. It was at least three times the size of the other houses, but stayed at a modest two stories tall. It was a house that stood out, and Kage had to wonder why someone would try to hide out there.

The two walked up to the gate surrounding the entrance, and noticed a security camera and intercom; the first pieces of modern technology apparent in the entire village. Xang pressed a button and a deep, strict voice spoke out. "State your name and motto!" Kage sighed as Xang stated their names and recited the SDC motto without a pause. The camera then turned to Kage and asked him to recite the same. He did so reluctantly, and they heard a click as the gate unlocked. As they walked past, they felt a field of energy similar to the presence surrounding the mountain engulf them, and then suddenly stop. They blinked at the feeling, and when they opened their eyes, it wasn't a large green house standing before them, but a gigantic mansion about three hundred yards back from where the previous house had stood.

"Ingenious!" exclaimed Xang, "They made a holographic image of a house in case of an attack, so that any attack would be way off! That field we just walked through probably was an elemental weapon of some sort."

"Very impressive," said a voice that Kage recognized immediately.

"Lazarus."

He stood there before them, the same old man from the warehouse before. He wore dusty pants and a vest. He leaned on a worn cane as he smiled at them. "Ah yes, I'm so happy you were able to make it safely. Please, follow me inside. My cousin is making tea for us."

They followed him in silence back to the house. Moving slowly so they could stay behind him, just in case there were any more tricks to be cautious of. They made their way to the entrance and Lazarus let them inside. The house was shocking, all manner of machines and gadgets were active, the sound of their toils creating a piercing hum that Kage's canine ears found quite irritating. Another man stood waiting with a careful smile placed upon his face. He made a small bow and moved towards Xang with his hand outstretched.

"How do you do? My name is Mortimus Arreglas; I'm Lazarus' cousin and the mayor of Fern. I welcome you to our village. If you will excuse me, I have something I need to check up on, and I'm sure your business with Lazarus is of a private nature." He said good-naturedly, but with a distinct hurry. He moved into an adjacent room, closing the doors behind him.

Lazarus chuckled, "He's always been the more skittish of us. Shy and timid, it's a wonder that he became the mayor of this town." He moved to a comfortable looking couch near the fire place. "Come, sit down. I'm sure we have much to talk about."

The two sat down, and waited for the old man to begin talking.

"Well, what did you think of our defenses?"

Xang replied quickly, "Amazing! I've never seen holographic technology like that. However, I'm curious as to exactly how the field we passed through works."

"It's not so much a weapon as it is a semi-permeable barrier that distinguishes between the organic elemental signatures of those who pass through it. Of course, I didn't have your individual signatures, so I had to make a few alterations. The motto identification machine you encountered was one of those modifications."

"And what would have happened if we or someone else had just decided to bust through?" asked Kage

"You felt that element stifling field didn't you? It's a concentrated form of the natural field surrounding this mountain. You would have been unable to use any type of element and if you had tried, your grid would have been obliterated, and your body would have suffered an elemental backlash."

Xang and Kage both grimaced

"Yes, I know. Not very amusing to watch or feel. However it was a necessary step to insure my family's safety, we have no warriors here to protect us, and even without elements, the average Syndicate officer is much more physically capable than we are," explained Lazarus.

Kage nodded in understanding. "So, now I have a question for you." When Lazarus nodded his ascent he continued "Why are we here? Specifically us. What do you need us for when they could have sent anybody else to escort you back? I have something I need to be doing, but instead I'm here and I'd like to know why. "

Xang seemed to think this was disrespectful but couldn't help that he was curious as well as to why they had been 'special ordered'.

Lazarus sighed, but had the edges of a smile on his lips. "I knew you'd ask me that, and I apologize for delaying whatever it is you'd rather be doing, however, you two were the only ones I had faith in to do what needs to be done."

"And what is that?"

"First I must explain the situation to you."

They chose not to respond, instead waiting for him to continue.

"I've been a scientist and a researcher for going on 35 years now. My specialty was element/organism integration, and element history. Over the years, I have built up many contacts, including your current SDC commander. Many of these contacts came to me in need of a translator and interpreter for their archaeological findings. About seven years ago, a man named Argonus came to me with a tablet. On it was some very difficult archaic writing, and he asked me to translate it for him. He told me he believed it led to an ancient site, which held many rare and powerful elements within it. He was a very wealthy and mysterious man, he kept himself almost completely covered, said it was because of health reasons. At the time, I found him suspicious, but the tablet was so intriguing that I put the thought to the back of my mind. That was perhaps one of my most foolish mistakes. Eventually, after some time, about two years, I was able to translate it, and we boarded a ship of his own design, making our way to the land known as the Bend of Time. In actuality, it was an anomaly in our Space/Time continuum, causing several complications with our navigation equipment. However, we made it safely, and disembarked onto the island." He paused here to catch his breath, having been filled with anxiety from the beginning of his tale. With a deep exhale he continued, "On the island, it was unlike anything I had ever seen before. The very air we breathed felt as if it had stopped moving. There was no sound beyond what we ourselves caused. I felt as if I was losing track of time, and that every step I took simultaneously was done in an eternity and an instant. We struggled against the force there, and made our way, investigating for what would become more than a whole year of natural time." He stopped to stare into Kage's red eyes. "It was amazing, yet at the same time terrifying. In that space, we did not eat, we did not sleep, we did not grow. We felt like gods."

Kage shifted his gaze; it was uncomfortable how Lazarus was looking at him. As if he knew Kage had something that he did not, and he was greedy for it.

"Eventually however, we found what we had come for: Six green boxes, shaped in the form of perfect triangular prisms."

"The Records of Fate?" asked Xang intrigued

"Yes, the Records. All though we had found many elements at the Bend of Time, just as he had promised, he said that these were the real prize. Inside were the locations of six keys. He said that if someone were in possession of those keys, then that being could become the God of Time: Chronos."

"It was then that he took off his cloak, and I found that inside, was a horrible monster. Something neither human, nor demi-human. He smote me, and I fell, weak as I was in the real world. I lay there on the ground, broken and torn, and I watched as he took the Records and left me on the island to die."

Kage and Xang sat shocked. Kage opened his mouth to question but Lazarus held up a hand.

"I survived, as you see now. And because of the time flux, I could not die from my injuries, which gave me all the time I needed to nurse myself back to health. I had relied on Argonus and his crew for protection in this land. I was the brains, so to speak, but he was the muscle. There were several immensely powerful and deadly creatures running around in the Bend of Time. Many of which that I had thought to be extinct. I knew I would be no match for even the weakest if I was not careful. Another year passed before I was able to sneak my way back to the sea, and fashion a raft of never aging wood. From there, I made my way to Marbule, unable to fight the downward flow of the sea in such a pathetic vessel. The kindness of a hermit living on the island helped me to return here to El Nido."

Kage sat back and absorbed all this information. This old man before him had seemingly found some powerful artifacts, and had been betrayed and left for dead. He couldn't believe that this insignificant looking man had had the will and the power to come back from such a desperate situation. But something seemed off… "But wait, that was a whole three years ago you got back. Blake was surprised you were alive when we talked to him. And what does this have to do with the Syndicate?"

Lazarus looked at him in frustration "Everything! Can't you see, Argonus is the head of the Syndicate! And now he knows I'm still alive, he wants to kill me. Because he's afraid of me doing exactly what I'm doing now!"

"What!?" yelled both teens, nobody knew who was the leader of the Syndicate, and this old man had known for years!

"You see now? He didn't want anyone to know of what he was up to. Especially a group of vigilantes who were constantly causing him problems. I've been playing dead ever since I've returned, secretly finding out as much as I could so I could help stop him. But I'm too old to do anything, I needed someone young, someone powerful, and I needed someone who was compatible."

Kage still couldn't believe this old man, but he needed to know everything now, "Compatible for what? What are you trying to say old man!?"

"Why do you think you're still alive? Why do you think you're eyes have changed to the particular color? Why do you think I specifically called for you and your friend?" asked Lazarus "On my way off the island, I found something. Something that Argonus' had missed in his haste. There was one more Record, and in it was the most important piece: The Time Egg. With it, someone could have the power to control space, time, and more! I kept it in the box, knowing that without the all sustaining presence of the island, its power would drain what little life force I had left from me. But when it was stolen from me, I chased after it. But you got to it first, and you took it to your headquarters, a foolish move, on both of our parts, but something we can't change now. I later learned that you had been defeated in battle, and I thought you dead, but when I was told that you had survived, with only a change in eye color and some scars to show for it, I realized that the egg had seen in you the potential to become the next Chrono Trigger: Wielder of the Time Egg, and Warrior of Time."

Kage and Xang were shocked silent once again, this was the second time Kage had been called the Chrono Trigger by this man. But he didn't know what that meant before, now, he was being told he was some Warrior of Time, and the wielder of some egg that gave its bearer the power of a god. This was crazy.

"Whatever old man, I'm tired of this tall tale. Kudos for creativity, but you can't really expect me to believe this sh…"

Kage's sentenced was stopped when Lazarus suddenly shot an element at him, AeroBlaster, a sonic blast knocked him off his feet, and he crashed into the wall behind him. Kage moaned, and looked to Xang, only to see him get caught with a yellow element he'd never seen before. It looked like Xang couldn't move anymore. Bits of electricity ran from his body as he struggled against the element's effect. Lazarus lifted his arm again and sent out an Upheaval. Kage was knocked through the wall this time and found himself outside, his vision dizzy from hitting his head on the wall as he burst through out. He shook it off, and popped up, fingering for his guns, however Lazarus had already shot another element at him and he had to dodge it. He rolled across the grass, and popped out his guns, squeezing a few bullets in Lazarus' direction, however his target had already taken cover behind the remains of the broken wall. Geez, what the hell was with this guy, one second he's talking about how he's some bullshit Warrior of Time, and next he's trying to kill him. He figured Xang was safe, Lazarus seemed to only be after him, Xang was just a bystander. However, he had to make sure. Which meant, he had to get in there again. Man, what was he going to tell the Commander? '_Sorry, your friend went senile, had to shoot him a couple of times. Hope you understand_.' He snapped back to the fight when the ground beneath him began to shake, "Damn! It's Earthquake!" he yelled in surprise as he lost his balance and was shot into the air. A pillar of earth rose from the ground and slammed him back into the ground, knocking the wind out of him. _Fuck, he's not playing nice._ Level 5 elements were hard to find, and cost a pretty penny, but they were worth every cent, damage wise. He felt like shit right now. He rolled under the next stomp, and kept rolling until the attack was over. '_I can't believe I'm getting my ass kicked by a 65 year old man.'_

Lazarus must have thought it was funny too, he was standing out in the open, laughing at him as he struggled to get up. "Come on Kage, you can do better than this. Maybe I was wrong; maybe you aren't worthy of being Chrono Trigger. I've seen children play-fight will more skill than you." He lifted his hand and shot another AeroBlaster at him. Kage lifted his hand and returned with a Gravity Ball. The two elements hit each other and Kage's knocked the AeroBlaster out of the way and smacked into Lazarus' chest. Lazarus flew back onto the carpet inside the house with a groan, but was up sooner than should be expected. Kage growled in frustration, pulling his guns up towards Lazarus and began shooting at his feet. Lazarus jumped to the side and fired off more random elements, trying to get closer to Kage, however Kage had gotten tired of this. He jumped and dodged past most of them, shrugging off the one's that grazed him and kept firing at Lazarus trying to get him to lose his balance. When he ran out of ammo, he started pulling stores of his elements into his guns and shooting them out as bullets, a technique he learned a year ago whilst training as a cadet. It was a cheap way to keep up with some of the stronger warriors who had level 3 and 5 special techniques at their disposal. Lazarus was seemingly exhausted but seemed to keep shooting elements, like he was desperate for something to happen. When Kage got into range of Lazarus, preparing to swipe him down with his claw, Lazarus surprised him by turning his back to him, and aiming his hand at the still unmoving Xang. Lazarus screamed out an attack that made Kage's blood grow cold. "ThundaSnake!" Kage rushed past Lazarus, running towards Xang who was several meters away. ThundaSnake was one of the most powerful yellow elements in existence, only a few people had ever seen it, and even less had survived it. He had to get to Xang now! From the corner of his eye, he saw the large golden serpent emerge from Lazarus' hand, its body coiling as it moved at high speed towards the defenseless Xang. Kage couldn't see Xang's expression because his back was to him, but he noticed that the electricity holding him was going wild, probably from Xang's frantic battle with it for control. Kage saw the Snake pass him by heading for its primary target. He almost fell down in despair, it was too fast, there wasn't anything he could do to save Xang, his feet kept on moving as he closed his eyes and began to feel his heart accelerate painfully. His best friend was about to die, and he couldn't stop it from happening, and when the serpent was done with him, it would come back for Kage, as was the nature of powerful elements. He couldn't believe it was going to end like this. Defeated by an old man in the middle of some hidden village. Kage wanted to cry, he wanted to scream, he wanted to stay alive! He wasn't ready for it to end! Not today! Kage left the darkness of his mind, and focused on the world around him. He was much closer to Xang now, but somehow, the Snake was behind him again. He closed in on Xang and wrapped him in his arms, the electricity beginning to course around his body as well, restricting him from moving Xang. He looked at the Snake, fire in his eyes. It was moving much slower than before, but it was still coming, and Kage had to stop it. He turned to it, and something feral opened deep inside him. The wolf in his blood howled at the ThundaSnake, who would hurt him and his friend, and he charged. Kage's feet moved with speed and strength that he'd never felt before, and as the element opened its jaws to swallow him whole, he leaped.

"Reaver!"

He landed on all fours, electricity still crackling throughout his body. As he heard the dying scream of the ThundaSnake, he felt an immense fatigue take hold of him. His body failed him, and he lost all control as he fell to the ground. A shadow fell over him and he used his last strength to look up. There stood Lazarus, but he no longer seemed angry, in fact, he looked please. "Very good, you have done marvelously."

Kage passed out.

Lazarus looked up from the fallen wolf, and released the element holding Xang. He then moved to sit down in his chair, sighing with tiredness. Xang looked ready to kill.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" screamed Xang, his left hand pointed at Lazarus' heart and held in position with his right.

"He's very stubborn," replied Lazarus, "I had to prove it to him somehow."

"Prove what!?" yelled Xang

"That I was telling the truth, and that he was indeed the Chrono Trigger." Lazarus said with a gleam of triumph on his tired face. "He still needs more training though; he'll need to be able to last far longer than that."

Xang kept his arm up "What in the world? That was a test!?"

"Not a test, an exhibition. The proof he needed to believe in his destiny." Sighed Lazarus "He did spectacularly however, though I wish he had done it sooner, I didn't want to have to resort to such drastic measures."

"You mean trying to kill me!?" bit Xang

"Hardly, I aimed that spell at the wall behind you. He simply thought I was trying to kill you. Though I must admit, that is what I wanted him to think," explained Lazarus

Xang didn't have a reply to that.

"You should feel honored; he risked his life, and pushed himself beyond his own abilities to save you. Not only did he use the power of the Time Egg, but he even unlocked his Level 3 Special Technique. I must say, it suits him, and is surprisingly powerful for its class."

Xang was simply too exhausted from the excitement to keep his hand up, so he sat down across from Lazarus and sighed.

"He's going to try to murder you when he wakes up." he said nonchalantly

"I'm prepared for that, but thank you."

"I think it's safe to say you're a yellow innate, only one of those could use so many of those high powered yellow elements."

Lazarus nodded in confirmation.

"What element was that you used on me. I've never heard or experienced it."

"It's StillShock, an element I created not too long ago for New Origins, incognito of course. It paralyzes the enemy by using electrical shocks to block signals from the Central Nervous System."

"That's very interesting; did you base it off of the PhysNegate element?"

"Indeed I did, you really are quite bright for someone so young."

"He was top of our high school class."

Xang and Lazarus jumped when they heard the voice and looked to see Kage still laying face down on the couch.

"I heard most everything you two said, I just didn't have the energy to comment." He explained from his prone position.

"Good, that saves me the trouble of beating you off of me," said Lazarus jokingly.

"I still ought to kill you, but I need a nap first," Kage replied.

"Sure, but since you're still awake, I suggest you try to listen to me first. I've got a little more to tell," he took a deep breath before launching into another monologue, "After the attack on your headquarters, I realized that they had planted a tracking device on your bag, and I sadly, rejoiced that I had not taken the bag myself, but I wept for your loss. I risked my safety by contacting SDC in order to see if Commander Blake, an old colleague of mine back when he first founded the SDC was alright, I also wished to know the status of the Record. I thought that all was lost when I was told it had been indeed stolen, however, I later found that you, the very same young man I had met earlier, the one who showed such skill and promise had indeed become the Chrono Trigger, I knew I needed to get to you immediately. However, I had to flee for my own safety and you were hospitalized. So I put in a request for your services here, and I waited."

"How did you know he was the Chrono Trigger?" asked Xang

"When I saw him fighting, I did not yet know. I simply focused on his spirit and yours as well. And I realized that the both of you were filled with spiritual power. He however showed such aptitude for battle, that I knew that if the egg chose him, he would be quite powerful. Later, after receiving a diagnosis of your condition, I learned that his eyes had permanently changed color, which had never been documented in my studies. I did know however, that whoever bonded with the Time Egg would undergo some type of physical change to personify the presence of its power. I imagine that because his eyes turned red, it portrays a dormant genetic allele for red innateness."

Kage spoke from the ground, "I come from a family of red innates, I'm the black sheep so to speak."

Lazarus seemed pleased with himself, "A wolf amongst sheep I suppose. In any case, now that you are here, and after our little spar, I should hope you realize that there is a great burden on your shoulders and that as of now, you are too weak to carry it."

Kage bristled at being called weak, but the anger sapped his strength and he calmed in defeat.

"What exactly do you mean by burden?" asked Xang, brushing off the slight

Lazarus began to look his age, "Due to my foolishness, Argonus now has the means to become a god. But he has lost the time egg, which means he only has one other option afforded to him. He must assemble a powerful team comprised of members of all six of the primary elements, and he must travel around the world, in search of the six keys. Had he the Time Egg, he'd have already found them, but he doesn't and that's good news for us. I know he's been using this time to collect information, and to train his team. They are almost ready to move out. We have to get to the keys before then!"

"Why would not having the Time Egg be such a problem for him?" asked Xang, he had moved Kage up to the couch to sit next to him while Lazarus was talking.

"The Time Egg should act as a translation tool for ancient text, as well as some sort of a compass for Kage, leading him to the keys. Of course, in order to obtain them, you'd have to be of the same innate color. That means, barring the black and blue innates of course, that you would need to find a powerful and trustworthy innate of each other color to help you. Perhaps you know some people at your headquarters?"

Kage shook his head "We're kind of outcasts there; don't know too many people that we can trust."

"Be that as it may, you still need to team up with some others in order to accomplish this mission."

"Wait. Hold on, I never said I agreed to do any of this stuff." Kage said tiredly

"I'm afraid you don't have very much choice. They will come soon, to find me, and then they will come for you. No doubt, Argonus knows that something happened to the Time Egg, as it is no longer inside the Record of Fate. Once one of the people who assaulted your base recognizes you and reports you to their commander, you will officially be target number one. Your only hope short term is to stay here with me for now and get stronger. Then, if you ever want a peaceful life again, you must take me to SDC, and search for the keys."

"Why is Argonus still after you? What can he gain from killing you, now that you've already spoken with me?"

"A madman rarely needs a solid reason to kill someone they're already intent on killing. He should have killed me before, and he failed; now I'm still alive and making trouble for him. He would want me dead just to make sure that I couldn't cause him more trouble."

Kage thought about his situation. He swore, this all sounded like one big simulation game to him. He was somehow the possessor of some incredible powers he didn't even know how to use. Yet he needed them to save the world from an evil madman who had dreams of becoming a god. He felt like asking for the reset button. He glanced at Xang, he may look alright to that man Lazarus, but Kage could tell by the way Xang's jaw was set, he was scared, and frustrated. Yet he was intrigued by all this, Xang had always been fascinated by fantasy stories and historical mysteries, this was probably exciting for him. He found himself getting bitter that Xang could walk away from all this if he wanted, sure, Lazarus was making the assumption that Xang would be there with him, and if Kage was honest with himself, he couldn't imagine his best friend ditching him, but the fact remained, he had a choice, and it bothered him.

Xang turned to his friend, and seemed to be able to tell just what he was thinking. "Kage, I know this sounds scary, and a little far-fetched, but you know, if it is true, I'll be with you. I don't know how much help I'll be honestly, but I'll do everything I can to assist you. You're like a brother to me, and I wouldn't leave you to the wolves." He smiled at his own pun, which made Kage relax and nod gratefully.

Lazarus sat back, watching the two friends. He had expected this to happen, but appreciated how quickly it started and ended. They were indeed very close friends. He hoped that they could rely on each other to get through all of this. He decided that they looked very tired though, so he would talk to them again tomorrow. "Ok you two, time for you to rest. I put you both through a lot today, and I'm sorry that I had to. Please, enjoy my hospitality. My cousin should have prepared dinner by now. After dinner, I will show you to some rooms where you can wash up and get a good sleep in."

The two nodded, too tired to do any more but agree with the old man. They followed behind as he led them into the kitchen.

Mortimus appeared at the entrance to the kitchen, greeting them to sit down at the table, he glanced behind them as they entered and cried out in shock, "What the heck happened to my wall!?"


	7. A Familiar Smile! The Reaver

CHRONOS

**CHRONOS**

**A Familiar Smile. The Reaver.**

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize_

_Last Time:_

Xang turned to his friend, and seemed to be able to tell just what he was thinking."Kage, I know this sounds scary, and a little far-fetched, but you know, if it is true, I'll be with you. I don't know how much help I'll be honestly, but I'll do everything I can to assist you. You're like a brother to me, and I wouldn't leave you to the wolves." He smiled at his own pun, which made Kage relax and nod gratefully.

Lazarus sat back, watching the two friends. He had expected this to happen, but appreciated how quickly it started and ended. They were indeed very close friends. He hoped that they could rely on each other to get through all of this. He decided that they looked very tired though, so he would talk to them again tomorrow. "Ok you two, time for you to rest. I put you both through a lot today, and I'm sorry that I had to. Please, enjoy my hospitality. My cousin should have prepared dinner by now. After dinner, I will show you to some rooms where you can wash up and get a good sleep in."

The two nodded, too tired to do any more but agree with the old man. They followed behind as he led them into the kitchen.

Mortimus appeared at the entrance to the kitchen, greeting them to sit down at the table, he glanced behind them as they entered and cried out in shock, "What the heck happened to my wall!?"

**Chapter 7**

_Three days ago_

A grim smile came to his face as he heard the heavy iron door open. He willed his battered body up from the wet floor. He saw the boss waiting for him, standing with a sadistic grin on what little of his face was visible under his exotic silk hood. When he heard the clank of metal being dropped to the ground, he fell down quickly and crawled to it, biting back the pain in his legs. Once he touched the object, it reabsorbed into his body, and he immediately used up the entire supply of healing elements within it. He shuddered as the feeling in his legs returned, and he stood up, less shakily this time, and waited for the figure to speak.

"Do not fail me again Vice."

Vice watched as the being known as Argonus Skybender turned from him, and walked away. His mind spun with anger, how dare he be made a fool of. He would find this old man, and make him tell him where he had hidden the Time Egg. He hoped that the man put up a fight when he found him; he desperately wanted to maim something.

_Present Time_

"So, what type of training have you two been getting at the Corps?" asked Lazarus from a deck chair as he watched Kage and Xang rebuild the wall they had broken the previous day "It's been a very long time since I've been by the Headquarters, and I'm curious as to how much you've learned so far. What kind of education you've received."

"It sure wasn't Mason Mastery 101," whispered Kage sarcastically as he scooped cement onto the bricks with a spade.

Xang bit back a laugh as he assisted him, "It was a very individually oriented training regiment, a lot like college actually. We had mandatory core subjects to study: infiltration and espionage, element applications, team strategies, and physical training, but also we had to take at least one hand to hand fighting style, one weapons class, and one projectile mastery course. However we could each choose which of those suited us best."

"Oh?" asked Lazarus as he stirred a glass of lemonade, "So what did you two choose?"

"Well, Kage practiced gun marksmanship, or gunkata, as he prefers to call it. He also took several weapon classes, sword, staff, and bow. I on the other hand took knife throwing, and demolition classes, and only one weapon, staff," informed Xang, ignoring Kage's crude hand motions at the mention of 'staff'.

Lazarus nodded, "And what about hand to hand?"

Kage chose to answer this, "Xang was supposed to learn Tai Chi, but I think he dropped that and ended up taking Wushu"

"Ah, the Porre fighting styles. Not many people take an interest in those here. They take an amazing amount of agility and flexibility," said Lazarus with interest.

"They're alright. I just wanted to try something different. Although, I'm not so much a fighter as I am support for Kage. We've known each other since childhood, and have been teamed up ever since we graduated from basic training two years ago. Most of what I know has been gleaned from watching and helping him. He gets the job done, I'm just there to watch his back."

Kage shrugged at this, having had that conversation with Xang already once before, and it hadn't been a successful fight. Xang simply didn't want to believe he could be good at fighting ruthlessly, having been born a naturally kind person, and since his attitude hadn't become a problem yet, Kage had left it alone for now, "My family used to teach fighting when I was little, but when dad died, mom stopped it all together. I pretty much use that style whenever I have to use my hands since it focuses on the knees and elbows, but I learned some Tae Kwon Do as well. I needed something else that let me keep my guns in my hands."

"I made some observations of your fight in the warehouse last time, and I really think you rely on your guns too much. They won't be able to help you block a sword or an axe in a close fight, and there are many defenses for bullets these days." stated Lazarus

"I figured that out when I fought Vice, the katana wielding guy who stabbed me, but I've really got nothing else to use right now. Maybe when I get back to HQ I'll put in an order for a spear or something."

Lazarus nodded and sipped his lemonade again. Then he stood up and waved his hand lazily.

"That's enough for now. I want you two to practice something."

Kage and Xang stopped working and jumped down, curious to find out what they would be doing.

"I'm too old to fight you physically, and I'm still exhausted mentally from yesterday. However, we can't stay here forever; we need to leave by tomorrow at least. In my research, I had come across a vast amount of knowledge on battles and war. Gentlemen, make no mistake, there is a war brewing, and I need you two to be ready for it. So I want Kage here to first practice summoning and controlling his technique, Level 3 techniques are not rare, however, they aren't very common either, it could be a great Ace in the Hole during a fight. I want you, Xang, to practice your martial-art, and practice it hard. I saw the way Kage looked at you when you called yourself support. If you want to know anything, the support usually has to be at least as good as or better than the actual aggressor, if something happens to him, you need to be strong enough to protect, or finish the mission. I took you out of the fight without even trying yesterday, me, a little old man. I want you to learn to be aware of everything that's going on, suspicious of everyone around you, and to be in top shape for any battles that may come. Go on, move."

The two separated to opposite sides of the yard to get to work immediately. Kage sat down, ignoring Xang as he began to move into fighting stance and practice his movements with vigor. Kage had tried to summon the energy that he used for his technique earlier this morning, but found that it was nowhere to be found. When he went to Lazarus about this, he explained to Kage that because he used it in a matter of distress, and whilst using his Time Powers simultaneously, he probably couldn't remember how it felt or where the power had come from. It wasn't like a normal element. Even though it had grown a slot in his grid, it wouldn't just come out because he willed it with his mind. It was part of his body and soul as well. He had to be able to focus all of it, in order for his subconscious to remember what to do. The best way to do that was, of course, meditation: a practice that Kage had never held much appreciation for.

"Come on, Reaver, Reaver, Reaver…" whispered Kage to himself as he willed for the technique to activate. He didn't even feel a twinge of power inside of him, and his frustration grew immensely after a few minutes. He decided to take a break and see how Xang was doing.

"Faster! Your technique is good, but I've seen better, and your balance is shaky," said Lazarus as he walked in a circle and threw rocks at a now blindfolded Xang, "Forget about showing off! You need to be effective in battle, this style is about constant motion, so drop the freezes and keep moving." He watched as Xang flowed from one movement to the next, kicking, spinning, thrusting, he stumbled a few times, but did his best to turn his mistakes into a new series of motion. Lazarus decided to try something "How is your element work?"

Xang momentarily stopped his movement, taking the blind off "I received the highest marks for accuracy in my group; however the more powerful elements sap me of all of my stamina."

Lazarus nodded, he was thankful that Xang was truthful. "Indeed, have you ever tried complimenting your fighting with an element?"

Xang looked at him oddly, "How do you mean?"

"I noticed that, particularly with your Tai Chi, that you thrust your hands out often, which is the basic motion when summoning weak elements such as Fireball, or GravityBall. I think that you could use that to catch many enemies by surprise and give you a fair advantage. Not many people have the concentration to multitask, however, I've seen that you are very intelligent, and such a skill may very well be within your grasp," explained Lazarus.

Xang nodded, "That's quite ingenious actually."

Lazarus smiled and walked off as Xang began to practice this new idea.

Kage watched as Lazarus approached him, and quickly closed his eyes as he began to struggle again with his technique. Lazarus watched him for a few moments, and began to question him. "Kage, if I asked you to describe yourself, what would you say?"

"Badass."

"No, give me a real answer. How do you see yourself?"

Kage sighed and opened his eyes; he looked at Lazarus and spoke with a hint of annoyance, "I'm a guy from a quiet village who doesn't give a damn about other people's opinions. I don't whine, I don't bitch. I just do whatever the hell I want, when I want to. I'm not into hurting people that don't deserve to be hurt though, and I don't judge people who don't deserve to be judged. Is that a good enough answer for you?"

"Marvelous. However, I have one more question for you. Why do you think you're a wolf, why do you think you're a demi-human at all?"

Kage actually took a second to think about this before he answered, "I'm a wolf because wolves are meant to be around other wolves, other animals, but if they aren't, then they can be just fine on their own, a little crazy, but fine. Like me. I don't like depending on other people, but I can accept their help if I need it, and I do appreciate the company. I'm a demi-human, I suppose, because I wouldn't want to be a full human. I like being special, I like being different, and I don't like being treated better than someone else just because I am or am not something. I rather earn my respect, not just automatically receive it for being born a certain way. A lot of humans think they're pure, and that we're some vile creatures, but they know they're wrong. They're just looking for fake-ass ways to boost their own self-esteem."

Lazarus smiled, "Well then Kage, sounds like you know yourself pretty well. I'm impressed. You're more mature than you let on, even though your vocabulary could use some improvement. I suggest that, instead of your mantra, perhaps focus on who you are, and what you want when you try to find your technique. Who knows? You might have a bit of success." He shook his empty glass, and watched the straw spin around the rim "Best of luck to you. I seem to be in need of a refill." He walked back into the house, heading towards the kitchen.

'_Focus on who I am, and what I want'_ thought Kage as he continued to watch Xang fight an invisible opponent. _'What the hell am I getting myself into?'_

_Elsewhere in Fern…_

"Team Theta, have you successfully located the target?" whispered a low voice into a radio transceiver.

A voice called back amongst static interference "Yes, he has been hiding under some type of holographic cloaking device. We have already disabled it without setting off any alarms, waiting for permission to proceed."

"Permission Granted. Don't screw this up. He's nothing but an old man. If I have to spend anymore time in Boss' dungeon because of you or your men, I'll make sure none of you are alive when I get out."

"Understood, over and out."

The radio signal ended. The man looked to the corner of the room, where several bodies lay lumped together on one another. He walked over, and grasped the handle of the sword which held them pinned together. A short wrench and a quick flick of his wrist removed the blade and shook the blood off its shining silver edge. He inserted it back into the sheath on his side and returned to the chair by the window. A quick kill always served to pass the time.

_Returning to the Heroes…_

Xang and Kage had begun to spar against each other; Kage mostly out of boredom, Xang for a more effective training. Xang spun past a kick from Kage and returned with a palm thrust into his side. Kage lightly dropped his elbow into Xang's wrist, and spun to the side, pinning Xang's hand as he swung a roundhouse kick with his left foot to the back of Xang's head. Xang ducked his head underneath the foot and swept his foot, knocking Kage down to the floor and loosening his hand.

"Kage, you're not even trying. What's going on?" asked Xang annoyed.

"I'm just frustrated with this damn technique. You asked me to come spar with you, so I came, but I can't really concentrate on this right now."

"Well geez, couldn't you at least try a little bit? You were practically banging your head against the wall over there a couple of minutes ago. I thought you could use a break. Besides, I'm not sure the wall could take much more of that kind of abuse."

"Ha, ha," replied Kage dryly.

Xang was about to reply with another joke, but stopped at the sound of a blast coming from the house. They both quickly ran towards the house, Kage making a quick detour to pick up his guns up from off the grass. He arrived behind Xang to find that there was a new hole in the wall, this time where the front door had been. They saw that a lamp had been knocked down by the force of the blast and lay broken on the floor. Next to it, stood a woman in a violet full body suit, she didn't move even as the two approached her ready to strike. They noticed the yellow streaks of lightning flowing from her body and realized that Lazarus had stunned her before he was abducted. Xang walked up to her and hit her with a nullifying Brace element. As soon as she blinked her eyes, Kage punched her to the floor.

"Where is he?"

She spat on his shoe and he kicked her with it.

"Kage forget her, they can't have gotten too far away yet!" yelled Xang already running towards the gate.

Kage kicked her again, this time in the mouth, and she fell unconscious with a muffled cry. He ran after Xang, and they passed through the gate. Outside, they noticed that many of the village people were looking at them. They scanned the crowd and saw several black and violet clad figures running towards the tunnel and chased after them.

"See! I told you! Strangers! They bring nothing but trouble!" cried the elderly demi from before.

The crowd murmured with an air of agreement, and Kage noticed that some of them were beginning to converge on them.

'_We don't have time for this shit. We have to catch up to those Synners. _' thought Kage, using the common nickname for the average Syndicate enforcers. He maneuvered around the crowd, making sure to avoid the ones trying to catch up to him. When one happened to intercept him, he had already begun swinging his fist. Kage ducked and put his own fist in the villager's stomach. He stepped past the doubled over man and continued onwards to the tunnel.

The largest synner was carrying Lazarus over his shoulder, and was leading the group. As he entered the tunnel, he glanced back and spied the two giving chase. The synner shifted the old man around him, and pulled out a small radio, speaking into it, "Magus, I have the target and we are entering the tunnel. We are being pursued by two unidentified persons, they are armed. Requesting orders sir."

"You will continue onwards to the other side of the tunnel. Tell your men to delay them for you. I will be awaiting your arrival in ten minutes. Do not lose the target, or I will kill you. Is that understood?"

"Sir, yes sir," said the synner "Theta Squad! Take care of those two! Do not fail!"

Kage and Xang had been gaining on Lazarus' position in the tunnel when they noticed that six of the synners had suddenly stopped running and had turned around. The seventh and largest one continued on, paying no heed to his comrades. The remaining synners were pulling out weapons of varying types. Iron and Bronze weapons gleamed dully in the dimly lit tunnel. They began to charge forward.

"Shit. They're armed," said Kage as he slowed down

Xang leered at them, "I don't see any guns. They're not very well prepared. They could have taken advantage of this tight space to really hurt us with those."

Kage smiled, "Well then," he squeezed Peace and Chaos in his hands, "I guess I'll have to show them their mistake."

Xang pulled out his throwing knives and spun them in his hands. "Guess so. Still, we have to make this quick, and it wouldn't benefit us to get too close to them here."

"Right," said Kage as he began to squeeze the triggers on his guns. He managed to knock down one, but their body suits were quite capable of absorbing most of the damage caused by guns. It still hurt like a bitch though. He squeezed a few more bullets out, and took down another one at the knees.

Xang ran past by him, sending a knife flying at the kneeling man, and ending him. One of the female synners, wearing violet, jumped off the slumped man's body and sailed close to Xang. Xang had to duck underneath her flying sword swipe, and returned blows with his knife into her wrist. She screamed out a curse, and moved to the side as another synner approached with a wide swing of his sword. Xang moved his leg between the retreating woman's and pulled her closer to him, taking the blow meant for him. He rolled around her body and pierced the man's neck with another knife from afar.

Kage had already finished the other two with well placed headshots, and sprinted over their fallen spears, focused on making up for lost time. Xang was right behind him, sprinting as well, and they soon found themselves at the exit of the tunnel, and back outside on the mile long path leading to the train station.

Outside, the synner had not made much progress. Apparently the strain of running with a man on his back for so long had tired him out. He was only maybe a fourth of the way down the path, and it only took a few minutes to get into firing range of him. However, Kage couldn't shoot without risking hitting Lazarus, so they spent some time trying to reach the man's side and restrain him. By the time they had, caught up to him, the train station was in sight. However instead of a train, they saw several strange two-wheeled vehicles. SynCycles. Element powered vehicles usually reserved for only the Elite Class of Synners, apparently these grunts had been given special privilege to use them for this mission. As Kage struggled with the large Synner, and freed Lazarus' unconscious body from his grasp, Xang noticed that there were eight, not seven cycles waiting in the distance. The eighth one was moving towards them, and quickly. The large Synner fell back from Kage, and his face took on a new expression as the vehicle closed in, "I don't know who you are, but you're fucked now! You'll never make it out of here ali…" his voice was cut off as the SynCycle passed behind him. The vehicle turned hard and drifted to a stop, and as the dust kicked up, they heard the engine turn off and the sound of heavy shoes landing on the dusty ground. When visibility returned, the large Synner was noticeable missing a head, and his body fell with a heavy thud. Kage and Xang jumped back in surprise, and looked to the new figure. Kage recognized the sword first, and his heart began to beat faster. As his eyes focused upwards at the face, his pulse reached an all time high…

"_Do you like what I've done with the place? It was so bland, I thought I'd color it up a bit."_

_The man grabbed Kage by the hair and picked him off the floor. Then he grabbed one of Kage's guns and shot him in the thigh. Kage shouted as the bullet embedded itself in the bone._

_"You dirty bastard." Kage choked out as the man jerked his sword out, releasing a spew of crimson blood._

_"Take my name with you into the afterlife." He said as Kage stumbled to his knees "I am… _

"Vice Magus."

"…_and I never lose."_

He smiled behind his white hair, "It's not everyday I meet a person I've already killed. I'm honored you remember my name, I must have left a good 'impression'."

Kage wanted to be angry, he wanted to be filled with rage and rip this smirking bastard apart, but for some reason, his body was freezing, his mind was panicking. Here was the guy who had damn near killed him, and he felt like pissing himself. 'What the fuck?' he asked himself, 'Am I afraid of this asshole?'

Vice's grin grew wider, "Smart pup. I was expecting you to jump at me, the first chance you got. But young mutts learn their lessons quickly, don't they?" He swung his blade with a flourish, and aimed at Lazarus "Since you're so smart, how about you give me the old man? You know you can't beat me, but you can go back home with your tail between your legs."

Xang took notice of Kage's hesitation and spoke for him, "Hell no, this time there's two of us, and we're ready for you. You're the one who'll be going home licking his wounds. It won't be like last time." He said this just as much for Kage as for himself.

"Pity. You know, we're probably not far off age wise, but you should still be able to tell that my level of experience is much higher than yours. You really don't know how to gauge whether a battle is winnable or totally hopeless, do you? I try to practice a little temperance every now and then, especially against those with no talent or skill, but you two seem dead set on being my victims" Vice pulled his blade close to him into a ready position, "Fine, I'll play with you. I've been aching for a fight anyways."

"Kage, get ready. He's about to strike," spoke Xang to his friend

Unfortunately, Kage was still quite incapable of coming to terms with himself. It had really only been two years since they had joined the S.D.C., and their missions, while dangerous, had mostly been manageable, and simple. He'd cut it close sometimes, but he'd always come out relatively unharmed. This time however, the very man who had defeated him, almost killed him, stood between him and his new destiny. He hadn't even come to terms with what he now had to do, and now he had to defeat someone who had the power to kill him. Kage wasn't so sure of himself anymore. Could he really do all of this?

Vice was going to decide the answer to this question for him. He swung his katana down at Kage who didn't as much as twitch out of the way. Xang jumped ahead of him, and blocked the attack with his knives, knocking Kage out of the way with his leg.

"Kage! Help!"

Kage shook himself out of his thoughts as he hit the floor, and kipped back up. He pulled out his guns, but Vice waved his hand and a slew of steel nails flew out at him. Kage dived out of the way, using his guns to block what he couldn't dodge. Some of the nails had pierced through his coat, and stuck into the sides of his guns. Kage shot a few bullets at Vice, who was still swinging at Xang. Xang cartwheeled out of the way as the bullets passed, and slung a blade at Vice as he cut away the bullets with his sword. Vice waved his hand again, and said "SHIELD" causing the steel slab to rise from the ground and block the blade from the side. Kage dived out of the way as Vice dashed forward and swung at his head, and knocked the blade out of the way with his claw on the return stroke. He jumped back as far as he could and shifted his hand down at the ground, "GRAVITONNE!" Vice had already began to run forward and had to jump over the field of high gravity before him, however, he had to block a quick Gravity Blow in mid-air, and was knocked backwards onto his feet.

"Hah, you're better than I thought! This is a welcome surprise! I was afraid I'd be finished too soon! I can really get the rust out of my sword on you two. Time for me to get serious!"

Xang sighed in frustration. Vice was acting like this was all a game, not like he was fighting for his life. However, he and Kage had never fought anyone with skill like him. This was taking everything they had, and they would eventually make a mistake. It would be over then.

"Kage! Up high!" said Xang as he ran towards the still standing Shield element. Xang jumped on his embedded blade and propelled himself up to the top of the slab. Kage shot up high towards Xang, and Xang took his blade and with careful timing, volleyed the bullet off it. Vice watched as the bullet bounced off the knife, and figured out where it was headed a little too late. The bullet passed through his left shoulder and his grip on his sword slackened. Both Kage and Xang ran at him, shooting off element after element at the staggered warrior. He managed to block most of them with his blade and Shields, but it was obvious the wound was painful, and inhibiting. Vice got blasted by a Fireball, flying into one of his own Shields. He looked up and noticed several black, blue, and red elements flying at him, and smashed his hands together with a shout, "SILVER FIELD! MAGNET!" He jabbed his palms outwards towards the two combatants as a field of slick silver mercury flowed out from his feet in all directions. The various elements converged upon him and suddenly flew upwards into the sky, and changed targets, aiming now for the very people that summoned them.

"What the fuck!?" cried Kage as he was pummeled by his own Gravity Balls and sent flying.

Xang cried out a similar curse as he was burnt and frozen at the same time by his attacks, he flew through the air and fell to the floor in agony next to Kage. "Shit! Silver Elements!"

Vice pulled himself away from the steel slab as it sunk back into the ground, "Ugh, I underestimated you two, but you underestimated me as well. There's not many that can make me fight like that. Bravo." He coughed haggardly, and stood to his full height, "Unfortunately, this is where it ends." He sheathed his sword and readied a pose. The dust swirled around, mixing with the mercury as he built his energy, "NAIL!" From all around him, nails flew out towards the two, who remained on the floor devoid of strength.

Kage lay on the floor as the sharp nails closed in, threatening to tear both him and Xang into pieces. '_Here lies Kage Lunatic, killed by the same guy twice.'_ He almost wanted to laugh, but he couldn't find it in him. He should have known that it would end the same way. Vice was just way too strong. Silver Innates had always been prized warriors because their abilities were relatively unknown. It was unusually hard to use a Silver Element without the natural innate ability, so it was rare to have any knowledge of how to fight one, or to know what to expect. Now, Kage was another victim, another dead teenage Demi. Nothing to really cry over, but still, he didn't want to die. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not anytime soon. He glanced over to his side, his best friend lay on the ground; his face in the glinting dirt. He'd die too. Kage couldn't stand to think about that. This time would be different than last time. Last time he was alone, but this time, he had to sit and watch his best friend die too. It broke his heart. It wasn't fair. It really wasn't fair. All he wanted to do was live. Live in peace. They'd joined to help Demis live a better life, and they'd ended up in a war. They'd end up face down in the dirt, with nails ready to jam down into their backs, tear their muscles, and split their bones. It wasn't fair. Demis had done nothing to deserve this. They'd only existed. What was wrong with that? Nothing. There was nothing wrong with that! They deserved to live! They all deserved to live, and live happily! And Kage wanted to help them do that. But he couldn't do that now, not while he was laying down in the ground waiting for his death. So he had to stand up. He had to stand up and keep on fighting, because if he didn't, there might not be a world for Demis anymore. Not with a racist madman with the power of a god controlling everything. It was time to stand up. So he did. And when he did, he noticed that the nails weren't quite moving so quickly anymore, and that around him, everything seemed tinged with purple. He felt invigorated in a way he hadn't felt in a long time. He wanted to just sit down and immerse himself in this feeling, but first things first. He pulled his guns out of their holsters once more, and took aim. Bullets flew out and within a few seconds, every single nail laid on the floor, bent and broken. As he holstered his weapons again, the purple tinge faded away. Before his stood Vice, an indescribable look on his face.

"How did you…you were on the floor…there's no way…"

"Shut up. I'm tired of your talk. I won't let you hurt me or my friend. It's time for you to go."

"I don't know what you just did, but you're in no condition to fight. You won't be able to land a hand on me."

"Oh really?"

In the next second, Vice was blown back with enough force to make him lose his air. His chest burned painfully, and blood spurted from it in waves. Four long, deeps scratches were grooved into his torso, and burned like fire. He screamed loudly as he landed roughly on his back, and the fresh wounds in his chest flared up; where he once stood, now crouched Kage, his right hand glowing with black energy. He stood up as the glow faded and walked over to where Vice laid supine. "Did I lay enough hand on you?" Vice glared weakly one last time, before he lost consciousness.

Xang groaned painfully, as Kage pulled him up from the ground, and used a restorative element on him. "What happened? Are we dead?" he asked groggily

"No, we're not dead. We won," said Kage

Xang opened his eyes wide, and gazed around him. His eyes rested on Vice's unconscious body, and he grinned. "Oh my god Kage! What did you do? How did you!? That's so amazing!"

Kage grinned back, "I used my 'Ace in the Hole' as Lazarus put it. Took care of him pretty nicely."

Xang was astonished, "The Reaver? You can use it now? And it's powerful enough to beat a guy like him!? That's so sweet!" He groaned a bit and grabbed his chest, "Ouch, I'll celebrate our victory later. I think I need to lay down some more. First though, where is Lazarus? And what are we going to do about that asshole?" Xang asked pointing at Vice.

Kage looked around and found Lazarus, still laying on the ground where he left him. It seemed he was coming back to consciousness now, and so Kage made him take a Tablet to help recover his health.

"Oh dear, please don't hurt me," begged Lazarus as he regained some of his awareness.

"It's me old man. Kage. You're safe. Open your eyes."

Lazarus peeked his eyes open and saw Kage's bloodied and bruised face before a blue cloudless sky, "My goodness, what happened to you."

"Had to rescue an old geezer from some kidnappers, got a little roughed up doing it. Come on, get up, we need to get your stuff from the house and get the hell out of here."

Kage helped Lazarus get up, and walked over to Xang who was standing guard over Vice.

"Any idea about what to do with him?"

"We could kill him. He's a dangerous member of the Syndicate, and I'm pretty sure I caught him by surprise this time. I don't think we'll be able to beat him if there's a next time unless we get a lot stronger," said Kage

"You know I don't believe in killing defenseless enemies, even if they are powerful. Besides, it might be better if we take him captive. We could get some information out of him. And I'm sure there's plenty of people at HQ who'd love to give him a nice welcome back."

"Yeah, you're right. It's just, I don't think we have anything that could restrain him once he regains consciousness. And I really don't want to have to buy a plane ticket for him."

Xang kneeled down and began to remove Vice's sword and scabbard, and even tried to remove his element grid, but couldn't figure out how. He looked at Kage, "I can't get his grid out. I think it's because he's so critically damaged. It must be acting as life support for him right now."

Kage nodded, and took the katana and draped it over his shoulder. "I'll destroy this thing as soon as I get the opportunity to. It smells too much like blood." He looked over at Xang, "Do you think you can carry him? I'll support Lazarus."

Xang nodded, and then looked at Vice, "Just one thing first though," he punched him hard in the nose, "For trying to kill me." He punched him two more times, "And for trying to kill you twice." He tenderly rubbed his fist, and then tried to pick Vice up, groaning as he did, "Ugh, this guy is heavy."

"Fine, just drag him then."

"Not a problem," said Xang, who proceeded to drag him towards the direction of the tunnel

"Hey Xang, how you feeling?" asked Kage, remembering how tired Xang was a moment ago.

"Good enough for now. I still want to lie down, but I'll feel more comfortable once we're done with all this. Maybe we can switch halfway there though; this is going to take awhile."

Kage nodded, and gave Lazarus his shoulder as they returned to the house.

A while later, and a few more blows to the head for Vice; they returned back to the village only to be met with a large mob of angry villagers. They held crude weapons and farming tools, and stared at the group of four with barely restrained contempt.

"There they are! The intruders!" yelled one woman who raised a frying pan like a weapon.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Hold on! Wait one second! We're not the bad guys! We just beat them off!" yelled Xang

"Strangers! Bringing trouble and danger to our town! Get out! Leave now! Or else!!" yelled the old man from before. The mob screamed in unanimous agreement, and closed in on the group.

Lazarus stepped forward, "One second, good people! We shall leave. But first, I must speak to my cousin! The mayor of this fair village! Once I have, I promise you, I shall leave and not return! We shall trouble you no more!"

"You have no business here! You have no cousin to speak to! The mayor is dead! His house, blown apart by you strangers! Leave now! Before you cause more tragedy!" yelled the old man again

Lazarus was stopped by the man's words. The house was blown up? His cousin was dead? He was suddenly overcome with great guilt and fell to his knees. "Mortimus! I'm sorry. I am so sorry. I did not mean for harm to come to you. Please, forgive me."

Kage helped Lazarus stand back up, and backed away from the mob. "It'll be alright Lazarus. I'm sorry about Mortimus, but we need to get out of here. I can't fight these people off."

Lazarus nodded, and the four of them made their way out of the village.


End file.
